The Israel Defense Forces released a video on Thursday revealing one of the “largest and most complex” tunnels used by Hamas underneath the city of Rafah in Gaza.
The video shared Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, shows part of the massive tunnel, which is over seven kilometers in length and is located approximately 25 meters underground. The video reveals some of the concrete passages and “hideouts” used by Hamas commanders operating n Gaza.
In a caption to the video, the Israel Defense Forces wrote, “IDF troops uncovered one of Gaza’s largest and most complex underground routes, over 7 km long, ~25 meters deep, with ~80 hideouts.”
The Israel Defense Forces indicated that the Hamas tunnel was used to hold Israeli Lt. Hadar Goldin captive after he was abducted during the 2014 Gaza War, according to Fox News. The outlet noted that Goldin’s remains were returned to Israel by Hamas earlier this month.
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According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel runs under the Rafah neighborhood, under a United Nations Relief and Works Agency compound, and under civilian locations, such as schools, kindergartens, mosques, and clinics. Officials confirmed that the tunnel was used by Hamas commanders for extended stays, storing weapons, and planning attacks.
Fox News reported that Israeli analysts have suggested that the demolition of the massive Hamas tunnel presents a major blow to the terrorist organization and “paves the path to its defeat.”
“The destruction of this tunnel as well as many others like it or similar… as well as other terror facilities pushes Hamas to the edge,” Professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News. “It is one of the longest and [most] complicated tunnels that have been discovered, but it is not the only one.”
Michael added, “This is an example of a root tunnel, a strategic one that feeds many tactic tunnels and is used for strategic purposes [such] as command and control, weapon storage, manufacturing platforms of weapon[s] and strategic logistics.”
Michael told Fox News that tunnels like the one the Israel Defense Forces exposed on Thursday are typically manned by “hundreds of militants and commanders” and cost a significant amount of resources between the building materials, the labor, and the continued use of the tunnels. The professor also noted that Hamas utilizes tunnels under “civilian and humanitarian facilities” in an effort to prevent Israel’s military from attacking them.
