The IDF on Sunday revealed the discovery of the largest Hamas attack tunnel to date, located in the northern Gaza Strip, in proximity to the Erez border crossing with Israel. Spanning approximately four kilometers (2.5 miles), the tunnel reaches depths of up to 50 meters (165 feet) underground in some sections and is wide enough to accommodate vehicle passage.

One of the tunnel’s shafts was found just 400 meters (a quarter mile) from the Erez Crossing, a crucial point for Palestinian civilian movement into Israel for work and medical care, particularly before the October 7 attack.

The IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit and the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade employed advanced intelligence and technological methods over recent weeks to uncover this strategic tunnel network, and successfully scanned and cleared it of potential threats. The tunnel, featuring multiple branches and junctions equipped with plumbing, electricity, and communication lines, also contained blast doors designed to thwart Israeli troop entry. Inside the tunnel, IDF forces found a significant amount of Hamas weapons.

Col. Haim Cohen, commander of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, noted in a video statement that the tunnel’s width suggests it was intended for vehicle-borne raids against civilians in the Gaza border communities. He confirmed that no branches of the tunnel entered Israeli territory.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the IDF reported several attacks launched by Hamas from this tunnel network. Recently, several Hamas gunmen were killed inside the tunnel during an encounter. The IDF emphasized that the ground offensive in Gaza has yielded extensive insights into Hamas’s extensive tunnel projects.

In conjunction with the announcement, the IDF released footage showing Hamas engineers constructing the tunnel, utilizing specialized equipment and tunnel-boring machines believed to have been smuggled into Gaza.

The IDF estimates that millions of dollars have been invested by Hamas in its extensive tunnel network throughout the Gaza Strip. “Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has been actively locating and destroying numerous attack tunnel routes, systematically dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure,” the military said.

Over the past weeks, IDF soldiers have identified more than 800 tunnel shafts, destroying approximately 500 of them since the launch of their ground offensive targeting Hamas in late October.

Additionally, the IDF has experimented with pumping seawater into the tunnel network, aiming to destroy Hamas’s underground passages and drive operatives above ground. Addressing concerns about potential harm to hostages held in these tunnels, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari assured in a press conference that the military operates based on precise intelligence regarding the hostages’ locations, prioritizing their safety.

According to the IDF, 128 hostages remain in Gaza. During a recent week-long truce, 105 hostages were released by Hamas, adding to the four released prior and one rescued by troops. The IDF has also recovered the bodies of eight hostages, while three were mistakenly killed by the military. New intelligence and findings have led the IDF to confirm the deaths of 21 of those still held captive.

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