Israel's underground barrier is a declaration of war, warns Hamas

Following reports that the Israeli army will be accelerating its project to build an underground wall along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, a Hamas official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Israeli newspaper Israel Today that the wall “is another phase in the escalation of the siege on Gaza”.

This comes as an Israeli army general announced the decision to expedite the subterranean barrier after intelligence allegedly found that Hamas had been attempting to expand the network of tunnels underneath Gaza.

“We will turn the tunnels into a death trap in the next war,” Major General Eyal Zamir said, according to Ynet.

“Whoever is inside these buildings is endangering himself and his children, and this entire building is a legitimate military target and has entered our bank of objective,” he added.

The Hamas official had threatened the Israeli army in the interview as a result.

“The Israeli army will be faced with a harsh response from Hamas,” he said.

“Hamas will not allow Israel to conduct its plans and crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza. We will prevent the construction of the barrier with all possible means.”