UN ambassadors from around the world visited southern Israel on Thursday to observe a Hamas terror tunnel firsthand and understand the security threats Israel faces daily. They also toured an Iron Dome battery in Netivot, a southern city approximately 15 kilometers from Gaza, to learn about some of the ways Israel thwarts Hamas terror.
The delegation of ambassadors, who visited Poland earlier this week, is led by the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. Previously, the group met Israel’s president in Jerusalem, and later toured Israel’s cyber center in Be’er Sheva.
The UN delegation included ambassadors from Guatemala, Paraguay, Poland, Ethiopia, Romania, Ukraine, Estonia, the Czech Republic and other countries.
Danon told the delegation about the terror Israel faces, pointing to Iran as the most significant sponsor of the attacks.
“The rocket fire from Gaza is part of the widespread terror network Iran wages against Israel in the Middle East. The regime in Tehran has many terrorist proxies, one of which is Hamas in Gaza. Hamas receives clear instructions on how and when to shoot at civilians in Israel,” he said.
“Israel will defend itself against any attack on its people and against any threat. We will prevent Iran’s aggression, which not only threatens Israel, but our neighbors and the entire world,” he added.
Danon called on the ambassadors to join Israel’s initiative at the UN to declare Hamas a terrorist organization in the Security Council.
“The tunnel you see is intended for bringing terrorists into Israeli communities as part of the Hamas terror campaign, in which they intend to murder civilians and kidnap women and children into Gaza. This image should reveal to you the true intentions of Hamas and translate into action in New York. Declaring Hamas as a terrorist organization will add to regional stability and weaken Iran’s aggression,” he explained.
Ambassador Jean-Claude Felix do Rego from Benin said seeing the terror tunnel in person made a significant impact on the group.
“I think it was very important for the delegation to come on site and to see firsthand the tunnel. It’s a source of reflection for all of us to see the amount of energy and finance involved in such work. We would like to commend the IDF for the work they are doing because, after all, we are working for peace and the safety of the population,” he said.
Ambassador Marie Chatardová from the Czech Republic pointed out that “The material [to build the tunnels] could be used for peaceful projects and it would be much better to have hospitals, schools and other things for the civilians.”
