GAZA CITY: Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said they received phone calls yesterday from the Israeli army accusing the Islamist movement of failing to provide for civilians.
“To the residents of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Army warns you against obeying the orders of the terrorist Hamas or having any contact with it,” the recipient of one such pre-recorded message said.
“Know that Hamas is spending millions of dollars on tunnels used for hostile and terrorist acts against the state of Israel,” it said. “This money should have gone to infrastructure, education and health projects.”
The movement’s Gaza interior ministry said that dozens of Gazans received the calls.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli officials on Sunday said troops had uncovered a tunnel running from Gaza 450 metres into Israel and allegedly intended as a springboard for attacks.
Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot said yesterday that Israel had known about the tunnel for over a year and let Hamas leaders continue to pour resources into it. AFP
