HAMAS ASSEMBLES ARMY IN GAZA

Tunnels Feed New Hamas Army - Alex Fishman (Ynet News)

Hamas has assembled in Gaza an armed and trained force of about 7,500 fighters. A senior Israeli military official emphasized that it was not just a large guerilla force, but an organized army with several specialized units, including a short-range missile unit, a long-range missile unit, an anti-tank unit, and a sniper unit.  Intelligence sources estimated the army would reach operational capacity and be capable of confronting the IDF as soon as the coming summer, if the flow of arms, military experts, and money into Gaza was not stopped.  The army had offensive capabilities that would allow it to launch long-range missiles toward Israel and to infiltrate Israel through hidden tunnels. Israeli military sources said they would have to decide soon how this new and growing military force in Gaza would be dealt with.