The heads of Jewish settlements close to the Gaza Strip have asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build a “smart barrier fence with advanced technological features” around the besieged Palestinian territory, Yedioth Ahranoth has reported.
According to its Ynet website, municipal leaders in the so-called “Gaza envelope” met with Netanyahu on Wednesday and requested an increase in the settlements’ budget for “strengthening and assisting farming communities in the region.”
During the meeting, the “threat” posed by Hamas and the tunnels it digs from the Gaza Strip was also discussed, as were Israeli preparations for “another round” of fighting. Ynet said that it has obtained a recording in which Hamas fighters stationed in the northern Gaza Strip are heard at the end of an especially large exercise at their training facility.
Israeli media outlets report a state of fear gripping residents in the “Gaza envelope” zone. Settlers report hearing the sound of digging under their homes, which suggests that the tunnels dug by Hamas have reached the settlements, it is claimed. This is denied by the Israeli army, which has deployed dozens of excavators along the border with Gaza with the aim of digging to uncover and destroy the tunnels.