The IDF announced on Friday that it had uncovered one of the largest terrorist tunnels ever. The tunnel, built by terrorists living in the Gaza Strip, reaches hundreds of meters into Israeli civilian communities and varies in depth.
In 2013, three terrorist tunnels were uncovered along the Gaza-Israel security fence. The last terrorist tunnel discovered by the IDF took place on October 7, 2013. The tunnel was approximately 18 meters underground and 1.7 kilometers in length.
Inside the tunnel, the IDF found tools and equipment such as generators, indicating that the tunnel was very recently in use.
The IDF is still investigating the exact magnitude of the tunnel. It is unclear just how extensive the recently uncovered tunnel is. The IDF believes that the tunnel was one of the largest ever discovered.
“This advanced tunnel was intended to pose a direct link and threat to Israeli territory, and enable Hamas terrorists to reach and harm Israeli civilians,” IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner announced in a statement.
“Our operational assumption is that Hamas and other terrorist organizations continue to tunnel and prepare points of attack against Israel and its civilians,” Lerner said.
In the past, the IDF has discovered and detonated numerous terrorist tunnels built and used by Hamas and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. The main purpose of the tunnels is to advance and execute covert terrorist activity against Israel.
“Tunnels such as this are built to assist terrorists in the execution of terror attacks. In the past Gaza terrorists have utilized such tunnels to Israel for infiltration, detonation and abduction of Israeli citizens,” Lerner explained.
Israel’s Channel 10 reported an anonymous IDF official as confirming that the recently discovered tunnel is one of the most elaborate and carefully built.
“It seems that the tunnel was dug over several months and years,” the official said. “From the tools here, we estimate it was being used until just a few days ago.”
“The tunnel is 9 meters deeps, and reaches 20 meters at some parts,” he explained. “Slackers did not dig this terror tunnel; this is more professional, made for a highly effective, easy attack [on the IDF].”
In response to the IDF’s announcement of the uncovered tunnel, Hamas said that the tunnel was “old” and the terrorist organization was attempting to repair it.
