The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on December 17 that they had discovered the "largest to date" underground tunnels of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) near the Erez crossing on the border with Israel in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to AFP, the IDF said the tunnel was about 4 kilometers long, in some parts about 50 meters deep and wide enough for vehicles to pass through, with one of the shafts just 400 meters from the Erez crossing.
Israeli forces have discovered the "largest to date" Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
The statement said that the authorities also found a large number of weapons that could be used in attacks at any time. The military said the massive concrete and iron-walled tunnel could transport militant vehicles from Gaza to the border.
According to the Israeli army, the tunnel has several branches and intersections, as well as pipelines, power and communication lines, and they found "many weapons of Hamas" in it, as well as blast doors in some areas.
Schematic diagram of the location of this tunnel.
These tunnels are unique in that they have drainage systems, electricity, ventilation, sewage and communication networks, as well as tracks. The floor is made of compacted earth, the walls are reinforced concrete, and the metal cylindrical entrance wall is 1.5 cm thick.
Israeli military spokesman Neil Dinar, who visited the tunnel, said the tunnel was twice as tall and three times as wide as other Hamas tunnels found in Gaza, equipped with ventilation and electricity, and apparently required millions of dollars, fuel and labor to build and maintain. It is designed to target the Erez crossing.
The Israeli army shows an image of the interior of the tunnel, which contains electrical wiring, sewerage pipes and tracks.
The Israeli military released footage purportedly recorded by Hamas showing a small construction truck driving through tunnels, an open makeshift warehouse filled with precast concrete used to build walls, and workers digging with rudimentary power tools.
The Israeli army said the tunnel, led by Mohamed Yahya, the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, took several years to build. The tunnel is believed to have been used by Hamas in its 7 October raid on military and civilian targets in Israel.
The Associated Press reported that Israel's military, intelligence services and government officials have been criticized for failing to detect the Hamas raid in advance. The Israeli army explained that the Israeli security services did not find the tunnel because the entrance to the tunnel was under a parking lot, which escaped detection by Israeli drones and satellite imaging technology.
Hamas has not responded to this for the time being. There is currently no evidence that the tunnel extends from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
Compiler/Writing: Nandu reporter Shi Minglei