HUGE: Israel Completes State of the Art, High-tech Tunnel Busting Security Barrier!

At least for now, the cross-border tunnel threats from Hamas controlled Gaza to Israel are not much of a concern.

By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)

During the summer of 2014 during the Gaza war, a great miracle occurred! Thirteen heavily armed terrorists entered a secret tunnel (that they dug themselves) in Gaza, which led across the border into Israeli-controlled territory. The tunnel led to a wheat field in Kibbutz Sufa (carefully selected because its thick crops made it an ideal place to hide out of sight). At the same time, Rosh Hashana (the Jewish new year) was soon to commence, which would be the start of the Shmitta year. The Shmitta is the biblical commandment (every 7 years) not to sow the fields or plant crops anywhere in Israel for a year, letting the land rest. That meant that the grain required for the Torah commandment of Matzah (for the Jews of Israel) needed to be harvested in the summer (for two years’ worth). For religious and practical reasons, a certain type of field was needed, extremely rare to find at this time of year. Rabbi Aharon Samet (who was responsible for the production of Matzah for much of Israel) searched the whole country for a field that fit the criteria and by Divine Providence, he finally found it at Kibbutz Sufa. Despite the war, with constant sirens and missiles landing in the area, he and his team did not hesitate to fulfill this holy commandment! The field was completely harvested, and he and his team went back to their homes. Two days later, the 13 terrorists emerged from the tunnels into the fields and were shocked to find that they were totally exposed. They were spotted by the IDF who bombed the 13 terrorists, killing them all.  Throughout the war, other IDF soldiers weren’t as lucky, and many were killed by terrorists emerging from tunnels. To this day, Hamas still holds the body of one soldier (smuggled by tunnel into Gaza) and they use it as a bargaining chip. Since then, Israel has destroyed many of the tunnels, but the threat of new ones being built (or existing ones going undetected) represented a major threat to all of Israel’s citizens and needed to be neutralized. With the completion of the new, state of ark, high-tech (including deep underground) security barrier, the threat appears to have been completely removed (at least for now)!

The new 40 Mile (65 KM) barrier lies along the entire Gaza border, and even extends into the sea to prevent infiltration and the digging of underwater tunnels which has been previously attempted.

The new wall includes many components such a “smart” steel fence 20 feet (6 meters) high, hundreds of cameras, radar, super sensors, remote controlled weapons systems, command, and control rooms. It also has (according to IDF Brig. Gen. Eran Ofir) the world’s only underground barrier (all reinforced concrete) which goes very deep into the ground and has advanced sensors which can detect tunnels being dug (for security reasons, the IDF has not released the depth of this wall). At a cost of 3.5 billion shekels (approximately $1.1 Billion US) the wall took 3.5 years (and 1200 workers) to build and used 140,000 tons of steel and concrete (enough to build a road from Bulgaria to Israel).

The fact that cross-border tunnel infiltrations did not occur during the deadly 2021 Gaza War clearly illustrates the effectiveness of the wall (The IDF attacks on tunnels frequently mentioned in the news at that time were not cross border tunnels but rather contained within the Gaza Strip). Says General Ofir (who has led every major barrier construction project in recent years), “I can sign off on the fact that there is a big, significant system that is meant to ensure that no tunnels enter the State of Israel. There is no 100 percent sign-off on anything in life, but we believe that this underground wall gives a very good solution to this issue.” With this wall complete, Israel is looking to build a similar “smart” wall along the Lebanese border where Hezbollah previously built an extensive network of terror tunnels (with financial backing from Iran).

This wall is an enhancement from a pre-existing security barrier that existed here since 1994 and has been built upon several times over the years. Because of the existence of a wall here, during the height of the intifada in the early 2000’s (when suicide bombings were daily news) only one bomber successfully crossed the border to commit an act of terror (at the Ashdod Port in 2004). It was due to the overwhelming success of this wall in preventing the movement of would-be terrorists that Hamas came up with the idea to tunnel underneath it (a threat which this new, upgraded security barrier is meant to neutralize).

Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.