II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4285 

To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 

to improve cooperation between the United States and Israel on antitunnel defense capabilities. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 8, 2024 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. BUDD) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2016 to improve cooperation between the United 

States and Israel on anti-tunnel defense capabilities. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Israel 

5 Anti-Tunnel Cooperation Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Israel is an international leader in devel9 oping innovative defense technologies, including by 


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1 pioneering efforts to map, detect, destroy, and ma2 neuver through terror tunnels. 

3 (2) Terrorist organizations on Israel’s borders, 

4 such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic 

5 Jihad (PIJ), with Iran’s help, have constructed a 

6 labyrinth of subterranean passages under the Gaza 

7 Strip and areas of southern Lebanon to improve 

8 their military capabilities as well as to attack and 

9 kidnap Israeli soldiers and civilians. 

10 (3) Since October 7, 2023, over 1,500 new ter11 ror tunnel shafts, approximately 350 to 450 miles 

12 long, built under hospitals, schools, and homes in 

13 Gaza have been discovered, with over 5,700 entrance 

14 points. 

15 (4) In the Gaza Strip, Hamas intentionally uses 

16 civilians as human shields by placing its under17 ground tunnel network beneath densely populated 

18 areas, connecting its terror infrastructure to schools, 

19 hospitals, and mosques. 

20 (5) Tunnels in Gaza and Lebanon are used as 

21 underground rocket manufacturing and launching 

22 sites, weapons caches, bunkers, transportation net23 works, and command and control centers. 

24 (6) United States and Israeli intelligence indi25 cates that Hamas’s military leadership is both shelVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:49 Jun 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4285.IS S4285

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1 tering in the subterranean tunnel network and using 

2 it to hold innocent Israeli hostages. 

3 (7) The United States faces similar subterra4 nean threats on the Korean Peninsula, the southern 

5 border, and in various theaters in the Middle East. 

6 (8) Israel shares its anti-tunnel technology with 

7 the Department of Defense and the Department of 

8 Homeland Security, which work to advance this 

9 technology further, enhancing the United States’ 

10 ability to deal with this growing threat on at the 

11 border and around the world. 

12 (9) Since October 7, 2023, there is an increased 

13 need to scale up bilateral cooperation on anti-tun14 neling efforts as a reflection of the complexity of the 

15 subterranean terror reality in Gaza revealed since 

16 the start of Israel’s military campaign. 

17 (10) Such an increase in joint United States18 Israel cooperation will not only benefit Israel, but 

19 will also help the United States and allies across the 

20 globe that face similar challenges from subterranean 

21 tunnels. 


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1 SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF ANNUAL LIMITATION ON 

2 AMOUNT AVAILABLE FOR UNITED STATES3 ISRAEL ANTI-TUNNEL COOPERATION. 

4 Section 1279(b)(4) of the National Defense Author5 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (22 U.S.C. 8606 note) 

6 is amended by striking ‘‘$50,000,000’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘$80,000,000’’. 

Æ 


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