Israeli Border Towns Empty, Adjust to New Threats

(AP) Aron Heller - Newly discovered tunnels dug by Islamic militants nearby have residents of southern Israeli towns along the border spooked. "It's changed our viewpoint entirely. The rockets we somehow got used to. This is something else. They are under our homes," said Ofra Benudiz, a 52-year-old mother of four in Nir Am, a kibbutz near Sderot. "Our greatest fear is that they will infiltrate." Earlier this week 10 Gaza militants dressed in Israeli army uniforms popped out of the ground less than a mile away. Most of Nir Am's residents had already been relocated to safer areas in central and northern Israel. The local regional council covering about a dozen communities says more than 50% of its residents are now elsewhere, with the numbers as high as 80% in those that straddle the border with Gaza.


2014-07-25 00:00:00

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