Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to prepare his country for Hamas's use of tunnels during the 2014 Gaza war, according to a key report cited by local media Friday. A two-year inquiry by state comptroller Yossef Shapira reportedly found that despite intelligence warnings, Netanyahu only belatedly and partially informed his cabinet of the danger.
Shapiro, who is in charge of assessing state policies and the use of public funds, opened the inquiry soon after the July-August 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the Gaza strip. His long-awaited report, which ministers and military officials received Thursday, has not been publicly released but local media cited officials familiar with its contents.
Preventing Palestinian militants from launching rockets from Gaza into Israel and destroying Hamas tunnels were Israel's key goals when it launched the 2014 assault, its third war in the coastal territory in six years. Israel's border with Gaza is sealed by a closely monitored security barrier. But during the war, Israel's military found 32 tunnels, including 14 that extended from the Gaza Strip into Israel, according to a UN inquiry into the conflict.
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