“We have built the tunnels because we have no other way to protect ourselves from being targeted and killed. These tunnels are meant to protect us from the airstrikes,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, member of the Hamas Political Bureau told Russia Today TV on October 27.
Marzouk was answering a question by the interviewer about why Hamas has constructed over 500 kilometers of tunnels instead of bomb shelters where civilians can hide during Israeli attacks.
Abu Marzouk added that 75% of the people in the Gaza Strip are refugees, and it is the responsibility of the United Nations to protect them.
The Hamas official also stated that, according to the Geneva Conventions, it is the responsibility of Israel to provide civilians in Gaza with all the services as long as they are under occupation.
The Israeli military is accusing Hamas movement of using hospitals in Gaza as shields for its tunnels and operational centers. Israel is even claiming that Al Shifa Hospital is used to hide a variety of command posts and entry points into the extensive tunnel network under Gaza.