Israeli forces battling Hamas declare to have uncovered the most important Hamas tunnel present in Gaza, designed to hold carloads of Hamas fighters as much as the border with Israel.
Neutralising the lots of of kilometres of underground tunnels and bunkers in Gaza is among the many goals of the Israeli offensive, launched after Hamas fighters went on a killing and kidnapping spree after getting into Israeli territory on 7 October.
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Among the websites Hamas overran within the assault was the Erez border crossing between Gaza and Israel.
Just 100m south of the checkpoint, hid in a sand dune, the Israeli navy on Sunday confirmed reporters the exit level of what it known as a flagship Hamas challenge.
The tunnel ran down diagonally to a depth of 50m, the place it expanded to 3m in top and width, and appeared outfitted with air flow and electrical energy techniques.
The Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) chief navy spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, put the total size of the tunnel at 4km – sufficient to succeed in into northern Gaza City, as soon as the center of Hamas governance and now a devastated fight zone.
It was “the biggest tunnel we found in Gaza… meant to target the (Erez) crossing,” Rear Admiral Hagari stated, with out specifying whether or not it was utilized by Hamas for the 7 October assault.
“Millions of dollars were invested in this tunnel. It took years to build this tunnel… Vehicles could drive through.”
Hamas has not but commented on the IDF’s claims.
Generally, different tunnels proven to journalists by Hamas, or by the Israeli navy after their discovery, have been slender and low – designed for single-file motion of gunmen on foot.
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The newest tunnel proven by Rear Admiral Hagari had shafts plunging vertically downward that, he stated, advised it was a part of a wider community.
Rear Admiral Hagari additionally confirmed reporters a video of Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and himself a senior operative within the group, sitting within the passenger seat of a car that he stated was driving contained in the tunnel.
On 29 October, Israel’s Ynet information web site reported that troops killed a number of gunmen who attacked Erez after accessing the world from a tunnel.
Rear Admiral Hagari’s workplace didn’t reply to a query about whether or not that referred to the tunnel he confirmed.
Source: information.sky.com”