On Sunday, Israel Defense Forces revealed the largest-ever Hamas tunnel near the northern Gaza border crossing, which was discovered several weeks ago.
An AFP photographer claimed that the tunnel's size could allow small vehicles to travel within the tunnel.
IDF Reveals Largest-ever Hamas Tunnel
The IDF reported that the underground passage formed part of a more comprehensive branching network that stretched over 2.5 miles and came within 400 meters of the Erez border crossing.
The army claimed the tunnel would have cost millions of dollars and taken years to construct. Mohamed Yahya, the brother of the Hamas chief, Yahya Sinwar, led the tunnel project.
The honeycomb of passageways features drainage and sewage systems, electricity, ventilation, a communication network, and rails. The floor was compacted earth, the walls were reinforced concrete, and the entrance was a metal cylinder with 1.5 cm thick walls.
Footage filmed by Hamas was released by the IDF, which shows a small construction vehicle being driven into the tunnel, an extensive temporary warehouse filled with pre-cast concrete for lining the walls, and workers digging beneath the earth using crude power tools.
According to The Times of Israel, the army claimed they found many weapons in the tunnel, ready to be used in an attack.
Lt Col Richard Hecht, an army spokesperson, said Hamas extended enormous resources on the project. He said the tunnel had been deliberately built near the Erez crossing, which Israel uses to assist Palestinian workers and those traveling for medical care.
"For Hamas, attacking the people of Israel continues to take priority over supporting the people of Gaza," he said.
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In this picture taken during a media tour organised by the Israeli military on December 15, 2023, soldiers visit a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on October 7. The Israeli army said on December 17, 2023 it had uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far, just a few hundred metres from the Erez border crossing.
Hamas Tunnels
On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack against southern Israel, which has killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and taken about 250 hostages.
Israel retaliated to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Gaza authorities reported that Israel has killed more than 18,800 people, primarily women and children, during the war.
'Gaza Metro,' named by the Israeli military, was the labyrinth of tunnels beneath Gaza. The tunnel was initially devised to bypass the crushing Israeli-Egyptian blockade in 2007.
According to The Guardian, hundreds of tunnels were built under the border with Egypt and into the Sinai desert, which allowed people, goods, and weapons to cross into Gaza from the outside world.
The tunnel network has been expanded, and Hamas has used the tunnel frequently to facilitate its rocket launches since the 2014 war with Israel. A study published on October 17 by the Modern War Institute at the US military academy West Point claimed that 1,300 tunnels extended over 500 km.
Furthermore, the IDF said they had discovered more than 800 tunnels, and 500 had been destroyed at the beginning of December.
According to the reports last week, the IDF has considered flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean and has already conducted successful tests.
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