The Israeli army claimed on Sunday to have discovered during its offensive “the largest tunnel” that Hamas has dug under the Gaza Strip and leading only a few hundred meters from its territory. An AFP photographer who was authorized to go there noted that it was of sufficient size to allow small vehicles to circulate. “This massive network of tunnels, which is divided into several branches, extends for more than four kilometers and comes only 400 meters from the Erez crossing point” between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli armed forces said in a statement.
A tunnel worth several million euros
Israeli forces say it cost millions of euros and was dug for years under the direction of Mohamed Sinouar, brother of Yahya Sinouar, the Hamas leader considered the architect of the October 7 attack. The tunnel is equipped with a pipe system, electricity, ventilation, sewers, communication networks and rails. Its floor is made of beaten earth and its walls are made of reinforced concrete, except at its outlet, reinforced by a metal cylinder approximately one and a half centimeters in diameter. The Israeli army claims to have discovered a large number of weapons there ready to be used in the event of an attack by Hamas.
“Hamas has consistently and deliberately invested enormous amounts of money and resources into terrorist tunnels that have only one goal: to attack the State of Israel and its residents,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, spokesperson for the Israeli army. “This strategic network of attack tunnels… was intentionally dug near a crossing point intended to allow Gaza residents to travel to Israel to work and receive medical care,” he said. he added. “For Hamas, attacking the people of Israel continues to be a priority over supporting the people of Gaza,” he said.
“The Gaza Metro”
The Hamas attack launched on October 7 on Israel from the Gaza Strip left around 1,140 dead according to Israel, which immediately vowed to “annihilate” the armed group and launched an offensive in the Palestinian territory which caused more than 18,800 dead, according to the latest report from the Hamas government. Nicknamed “the Gaza metro” by the Israeli military, the maze of galleries was first used to circumvent the blockade imposed by Israel after Hamas took power in this territory in 2007.
Hundreds of galleries have been dug under the border with Egyptian Sinai to move 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 West Point mentions 1,300 galleries over 500 kilometers. The Israeli army indicated in early December that it had discovered more than 800 tunnels, 500 of which were destroyed.