The Israeli army claimed on Sunday that its offensive had discovered “the largest tunnel” dug by Hamas under the Gaza Strip, which leads just a few hundred meters from its territory.
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An AFP photographer who had permission to go there noted that the size was large enough to allow even small vehicles to travel.
“This vast network of tunnels, divided into several branches, stretches for more than four kilometers and is located just 400 meters from the Erez border crossing” between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Israeli forces say it cost millions of dollars and was dug for years under the direction of Mohamed Sinouar, the brother of Yahya Sinouar, the Hamas leader considered the architect of the Oct. 7 attack.
The tunnel is equipped with a pipe system, electricity, ventilation, sewers, communication networks and rails.
AFP
Its floor is made of rammed earth and its walls are made of reinforced concrete, except for the outlet, which is reinforced by a metal cylinder about one and a half centimeters in diameter.
The Israeli army claims to have discovered a large number of weapons there, ready for use in the event of a Hamas attack.
“Hamas has consistently and deliberately invested enormous amounts of money and resources in terrorist tunnels that have only one goal: to attack the State of Israel and its people,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, Israeli army spokesman.
“This strategic network of attack tunnels … was deliberately dug near a border crossing to allow Gazans to travel to Israel to work and receive medical care,” he said.
AFP
“For Hamas, attacking the people of Israel remains a priority over supporting the people of Gaza,” he said.
According to Israel, around 1,140 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7th. Israel immediately vowed to “destroy” the armed group and launched an offensive into Palestinian territory that killed more than 18,800 people, according to the latest Hamas government report.
Dubbed the “Gaza Metro” by the Israeli military, the labyrinth of galleries was used for the first time to bypass the blockade Israel imposed after Hamas seized power in the area in 2007.
AFP
Hundreds of galleries have been dug beneath Egypt's Sinai border to transport people, goods, weapons and ammunition between Gaza and the outside world.
In a study published on October 17, the Institute of Modern Warfare at the American Military Academy named West Point as having 1,300 galleries in 500 kilometers.
In early December, the Israeli army said it had discovered more than 800 tunnels, 500 of which were destroyed.