Israel discovers 'biggest Hamas tunnel' in Gaza
Big enough to drive a large vehicle through, tunnels like this are 'one of the main reasons why war is still going on'
Israeli forces claim to have discovered the "biggest Hamas tunnel" in Gaza.
Two and a half miles long and 50 metres below street level, the tunnel is wide enough to drive a large vehicle through, and is equipped with electricity, ventilation and communications systems. It ends just 400 metres from the Erez border crossing with Israel in northern Gaza, one of the key points that Hamas targeted during its deadly surprise attack on Israel on 7 October.
The tunnel will have cost millions of dollars and taken years to construct, said The Times, and was the "personal project" of Hamas's operations chief in northern Gaza, Mahmoud Sinwar, younger brother of Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yihya Sinwar.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is now preparing to demolish the tunnel, which was discovered after the invasion of Gaza, with the help of captured Hamas documents and videos, and is said to have been part of the militant group's "strategic infrastructure".
Hamas has claimed to have built more than 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza, "though it is unclear if that figure was accurate", reported CNN.
Nicknamed the "Gaza metro", the tunnels under the coastal enclave are used to "smuggle goods from Egypt, launch attacks into Israel, store rockets and ammunition caches and house Hamas command and control centers", said the news site.
The tunnels are "one of the main reasons why the war is still going on", said The Times, as the IDF, "one of the world's most advanced militaries… has been sucked into an underground battle of dimensions that are unprecedented in the history of warfare".
Of the 1,300 tunnels identified by the Modern War Institute at the US military academy West Point, the Israeli army claimed at the beginning of December to have discovered more than 800 and destroyed 500 of these.
The Guardian has reported that the army was "considering flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean" and had "conducted successful tests".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What's next for US interest rates?
The Explainer Stubborn inflation forestalls anticipated rate cuts
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Russia rattles nuclear saber, orders tactical nuke drills
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian military to hold nuclear weapons drills in response to Western "threats"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Five top new women's watches
The Week Recommends From dancing diamonds to reconfigured classics, these models were recently revealed at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
Will Iran attack hinder support for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Pro-Kyiv allies cry 'hypocrisy' and 'double standards' even as the US readies new support package
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran's attack on Israel backfire?
Today's Big Question The unprecedented targeting of Israel could be a 'godsend' for Netanyahu as the limits of Tehran's military power are exposed
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran risk all-out war with Israel?
Today's Big Question Tehran has not wanted to be directly involved in the Middle East conflict so far. But that could be about to change
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Humanitarian islands': how will Israel's plan for Rafah civilians work?
Today's Big Question Designated zones in central Gaza to provide temporary housing, food and water for more than a million displaced Palestinians
By The Week UK Published
-
What is Iran's endgame?
Today's Big Question Tehran seeks to supplant US and Saudi Arabia as dominant power in Middle East while forcing Israel to end Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostages
Speed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
100 days of war: a timeline of the Israel-Hamas conflict
The Explainer Tens of thousands dead and Gaza in ruins as risk of wider escalation continues to grow
By The Week UK Published
-
How Islamic State bombings in Iran could escalate regional war
The Explainer Terrorist group claims responsibility for deadly blasts on 'irredeemable foe' but Tehran likely to ramp up anti-US rhetoric
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published