Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on December 17 that it had uncovered the largest-ever attack tunnel of the Hamas Movement in the northern Gaza Strip.
The tunnel, of which around four kilometers were uncovered by the IDF, goes down some 50 meters underground in some areas.
Despite its large size, the tunnel does not enter Israeli territory. One of the shafts was found just 400 meters away from the Erez Crossing with Israel.
The IDF said that over the last few weeks, the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit and the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade used “advanced intelligence and technological means” to uncover the “strategic” tunnel network, scan it and clear it of any potential threats.
It noted the tunnel’s large size allowed for the movement of vehicles, and “many weapons” belonging to Hamas were found inside.
“Its width indicates that it was intended to have been used for vehicle-borne raids against civilians in the Gaza border communities,” said the commander of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, Colonel Haim Cohen, in a video statement.
In an earlier statement, the IDF said troops from the 7th Armored Brigade raided the offices of the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis battalion and the vacation homes of several senior Hamas commanders, including the movement’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.
The commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, Colonel Elad Tzuri, announced his forces are battling Hamas in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. He also said that the brigade reached the main square in Bani Suheila, on the outskirts of the city.
During the operations, the brigade’s troops killed “many terrorists,” including some by tank shelling, the IDF said, adding that some 30 tunnel shafts were uncovered and dozens of anti-tank missile launch sites and observation posts were struck.
In addition, weapons of Hamas fighters were seized by Israeli troops, along with intelligence materials, according to the IDF.
“We found weapons, tunnels inside vacation homes of senior Hamas officials,” Tzuri said. “We see a lot of tunnel shafts here, still encountering the enemy but gaining operational control of the area.”
Along with the offices of the Khan Younis battalion commander and holiday homes of senior Hamas commanders, the IDF said the troops also raided an outpost belonging to the Deir al-Balah battalion, seizing intelligence materials.
In another raid in the city, Israeli troops seized weapons and equipment at the home of a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba forces.
The IDF announced in a separate statement that around 200 targets of Hamas in northern and southern Gaza were struck overnight.
Meanwhile, Hamas’ military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reported heavy clashes with Israeli troops in northern, central and southern Gaza. Several military vehicles of the IDF were reportedly hit. Video footage showing the destruction of a Merkava 4 main battle tank was released by al-Qassam.
The death toll from Israeli strikes and ground operations in Gaza has reportedly neared 19,000. Despite this, the Israeli leadership appears to be determined to go on with the war.
all of a sudden they find this tunnel just 400 meters from israel. why should we believe a single word from these liars? they lie about being jews when they are not the real jews (judeans). they lied about 911 and “isis”. they lied about the uss liberty. they lie in the us media they control. they lied about not knowing anything about the october 7th attacks. they lie about not intentionally killing civilians all the time. they lied about hamas raping women and killing babies, etc. etc.
i sudden about that. ttry to control yourself. and why only usa media control.
it add and subtract your too.
and who are they??? more as you create you create your own dark and decline and even blame normal people for it.
lgbt find my tunnel of love–now i are his senile
stop lying, lgbt never lost your stanky tunnel of love jens. they always knew where it was.
the simple fact that hamas had to abandon such a remarkably advanced tunnel like that, that was big enough to move vehicles through it, just shows how much the war is not going their way! to save their own lives they had to abandon critical infrastructure along with weapons and gear! this just shows that the war is over for hamas, the only real question is how many palestinian people will die before this war ends?
alternatively, the palestinians were able to build a complex tunnel network right next door to israel and israel with all of her surveillance etc didnt spot it. i would be deeply troubled if i were the israelis.
do you mean how many palestinian people will be murdered by the armed forces of the apartheid jewish supremacist state?
if that was a picture of this “huge” tunnel, what sort of vehicles were they planning to move through it? bobsleds? clearly it was only intended to connect hamas’ “vacation homes”. ever try drinking some of that koolaid you’re peddling?
hamas also lied about the funding aid received from arab gulf nations. gaza’s sky is black but qatar is always sunny. aolokhu snackbarrrrr
barefoot hamas soldiers are being slaughtered by the unstoppable advancing israelis. just like in the last days of the german third reich in 1945, were little boys, probably barefoot like hamas, were sent out to stop advancing russian tank columns, that literally steamrolled right over them on their way to berlin! hamas just like hitler is regretting that they ever started this war or attacked israel! over 18,000 palestinians are dead, with tens of thousands of more to come!
hamas is currently slaying zionists in gaza
gaza’s sky is black but qatar is always sunny. olok leaders sitting in doha plaza with mia khalifa dressed like a nurse in shifa while the people of gaza paid the heavy price
the jewish supremacists started the war in 1948 when their wholesale ethnic cleansing land theft program was launched.
hasbara much? or are you in the brave and moral idf cyber corps?
note that such claims are allegations until confirmed by an independent source. although western journalists report them as fact, those not supporting western causes should nevertheless apply basic standards of objectivity. why should these accounts be so generous towards a zionist entity that has murdered as many journalists as it has?
i was surprised at how slowly israel progressed in the region. i assumed that a huge army (compared to the opponent) would be able to quickly defeat an area after bombing it to the ground.
“hamas leaders leave qatar for unknown destination”, that was last week in the jerusalem post, so if hamas is in qatar, why are they killing civilian in gaza? https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-777767
the answer is the same as 50 years ago: the palestinians will be driven out of the area permanently. secret papers have been leaked before and the nazijahu’s own speeches. israel’s only goal is to conquer the entire region and permanently.
hamas was made by israel for opposition control, isis means israel secret information service, they control it all including usa and europe.
isis was created by saudis and qatar lol
that’s nothing. i read on the internet that there’s a bunch of deeper tunnels,that run from the strip and into egypt for command, control, weapon storage, food, fuel, medicine and everything else needed for several months of fighting.
bobo idiota. hamas tunnel is the fruit of their corruption. no food , no water, no medicine, life in gaza is like living and sleeping in toilet while political leaders living life in luxury at doha plaza with mia khalifa dressed like a nurse in shifa.
cry harder. hamassholes need more money.
stop cry zio dog mothafacka…we are enjoying to see hoocked nose juddens killed by hamas….cry without piss in your pants circumcised beast
i thought the idf already had northern gaza under control. why would there be heavy fighting in that section if that were the case?
they found a storm drain or was it the gaza metro system….. the retarded baby killing khazar squatters using “advanced intelligence and technological means” boasts while the world is disgusted by their depravity as they slaughter innocent children above ground. meanwhile the mounds of whacked diaper head shlomos gets stacked ever higher. the world is praying for the destruction of these vile zionazi demons and destroyed they will definitely be.
bobo idiota. hamas tunnel is the fruit of their corruption. no food , no water, no medicine, life in gaza is like living and sleeping in toilet while political leaders living life in luxury at doha plaza with mia khalifa dressed like a nurse in shifa. gaza’s sky is black but qatar is always sunny. bobo.
how interesting that hamas leaders would have or want “vacation homes” in the gaza strip. did they paint bullseyes on them for the idf? the vaunted cyber corps needs to think outside its cone of privilege.