Tel Aviv [Israel], December 17 : Amid the ongoing tension between Israel and Hamas, a massive tunnel system was discovered by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Sunday, which the IDF claimed to be Hamas' biggest tunnel system, the construction of which was led by Mohammad Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
It is pertinent to note that the tunnel has a length of over four kilometers (2.5 miles), and is located only 400 meters from the Erez Crossing, said the IDF.
In a post on X, IDF also said that Gazans used the giant tunnel on a daily basis to enter Israel for work and medical treatment in Israeli hospitals.
"EXPOSED: The biggest Hamas terrorist tunnel discovered. This massive tunnel system branches out and spans well over four kilometers (2.5 miles). Its entrance is located only 400 meters (1,310 feet) from the Erez Crossingused by Gazans on a daily basis to enter Israel for work and medical treatment in Israeli hospitals," read IDF's latest post on X.
"This tunnel system was a project led by Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and the commander of Hamas' Khan Yunis Battalion," it added.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, the IDF said it has carried out strikes against some 200 Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip over the past day, according to The Times of Israel.
It said that the Paratroopers Brigade raided several apartments used by Hamas in Shejaiya and found firearms, explosive devices, and other military equipment. The IDF said the troops discovered a 15-meter-long tunnel, which was later destroyed in an airstrike.
The IDF said that the Commando Brigade carried out an airstrike on Hamas weapons depot in the home of an operative in southern Gaza. The IDF noted that the depot was being used by operatives in the region to dearm, according to The Times of Israel report.
In addition, the Commando Brigade identified seven armed Hamas operatives in the Khan Younis area and carried out airstrikes at them.
According to IDF, the 646th Brigade raided a building near a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) school, where machinery used to build rockets was found. It further said that three tunnel shafts were found in the area of the school.
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