Detonations, explosions and shouts in Arabic at the end of military exercises can be heard in a recording obtained by Ynet Wednesday revealing the extent to which Hamas is preparing for the next round of fighting.

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"For a quarter of an hour we heard the sounds of explosions, followed by total silence and then shouting in Arabic that sound like the battle cry of warriors,” recounted a resident of the Gaza envelope who lives not far from a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza. "It was very scary, it is clear that it is part of their intensive training."

Hamas battle cries heard near Gaza border

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet municipal leaders in the Gaza envelope on Wednesday – and at the focus of the meeting will be the threat to the tunnels, Hamas's buildup in the Gaza Strip and Israeli preparations towards another round of fighting. The leaders will ask Netanyahu to explain government policy towards Hamas and the threat observable from the Gaza Strip, following recent publications on the rehabilitation of Hamas fighters’ capabilities to attack via recently dug tunnels.

Antennas in a Hamas outpost near border (Photo: Roi Idan)

But alongside the subterranean threat there are also threats that residents of the Gaza envelope can see for themselves every day - and sometimes even hear. Residents recently observed new antennas set up by Hamas at outposts across the border, a distance of just dozens of meters away from Israel.

These outposts were first reported on by Yedioth Ahoronoth, in addition to cameras and various technological measures that are expected to be used by the terrorist organization in the next war with Israel and to its ability to confront the IDF.

Besides phots, Ynet also obtained a recording in which Hamas fighters stationed in the same outpost in the northern Gaza Strip are heard at the end of an especially large exercise at the nearby training facility.

At the meeting with Netanyahu, the subject of building a “smart” barrier fence with advanced technological features along the border will be discussed, as well as topics such as the development of the Gaza envelope, increasing the budget for strengthening and assisting farming communities in the region.

Alongside recent tensions and the talk of the digging of new terror tunnels, reassuring messages have been heard from both sides. Israel’s assessment is that Hamas is not interested in another round of violence in the foreseeable future, and this conclusion is supported by senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s recent public announcement that the organization is committed to keeping the border quiet.