The IDF destroyed on Tuesday the largest terror tunnel that was uncovered in northern Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the military announced on that morning.
The tunnel extends about four kilometers long and ends near the Erez crossing but does not cross into Israeli territory. It was initially discovered in mid-December of last year.
Over the past few weeks, the IDF has been investigating the tunnel, and the route was located and destroyed in a joint effort by the engineering unit of the IDF’s Gaza Division, the Yahalom unit, the IDF’s Southern Command, and the Defense Ministry’s engineering and construction division.
The IDF carried out exploration operations of the tunnel route, which reached a maximum depth of about 50 meters. The nearest shaft of the tunnel is located about 400 meters from the Erez crossing, which has been used for the passage of workers and patients for medical treatment in Israel in recent years.
Route has several branches
The route has several branches, forming a wide and branched network of tunnels. Along the route, there are sewerage, electricity, and communication infrastructures, as well as the top doors, which were designed to prevent the entry of IDF forces. The tunnel allows the movement of vehicles inside it, and many weapons of the terrorist organization Hamas were found in it.
The ground maneuver, through intelligence operations in the field, provided a lot of information about the Hamas terror tunnels project and helped deepen the knowledge and mapping of it. Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has been working to locate and destroy dozens of attack tunnel routes as part of the systematic dismantling of Hamas infrastructure. The tunnel construction project included a team of dozens of terrorists who came especially for its construction from Khan Yunis to the north of the Gaza Strip.
Maariv reported that the use of special digging machines smuggled into the Strip was found within the tunnel’s construction.
Additionally, according to estimates, Hamas has invested millions of dollars in the underground layout throughout the Strip, and Maariv noted that offensive actions against Israeli troops have been staged from within the now-demolished tunnel.
A few days ago, terrorists were also identified inside the tunnel, who were eliminated by the IDF forces.
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