An IDF soldier at the entrance to a Hamas tunnel. israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said progress was being made toward the development of a system to locate tunnels dug by Hamas. Photo: Wikipedia.

JNS.org – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with a group of leaders from southern Israeli communities near the border with the Gaza Strip, promising that the government and the Israel Defense Forces are working on a solution to end the threat of Hamas terror tunnels.

Netanyahu said progress was being made toward the development of a system to locate tunnels dug by Hamas under the Israel-Gaza border, Israel Hayom reported. Wednesday’s meeting took place at the request of the community leaders, who have expressed concerns in recent months about renewed efforts by Hamas to construct cross-border tunnels.

The main concern among southern Israelis is that Hamas terrorists will infiltrate their communities through the tunnels. Israel initially destroyed a network of such tunnels during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, but residents claim that they now hear digging coming from below the ground.

Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon took part in the meeting and said the Finance Ministry would allocate whatever funds are needed to build a new security barrier along the border with Gaza.