Some four kilometers long, 50 meters deep: These are the dimensions of the largest Hamas tunnel discovered by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Less than half a kilometer from the Erez border crossing, on the border with Israel North of the Palestinian enclave, it was one of the entry points for the militiamen who carried out the brutal attack on October 7th.
“Millions of dollars were spent on this tunnel, hundreds of tons of cement and a lot of electricity. Instead of spending all this money, cement or electricity on hospitals, schools, housing or other needs of Gazans,” he said in the tunnel Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israeli army.
Over the weekend, Hagari showed a small group of media, including EFE, one of the tunnel’s exit mouths and several meters of its interior, where the scale and solidity of this project can be seen It took years to build, was hidden under sand and was one of the key pieces for the attack on Israeli soil, in which more than 1,200 people died and 240 were kidnapped.
“This was Yahya Sinwar’s best-kept secret until now, but we have discovered it and revealed it,” Hagari said, referring to the leader of the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, who is believed to be the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, the largest massacre in the country Israel Civilians who have never existed in Israel largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
Israel claims that it was his brother Mohamed Sinwar who directed and supervised the construction of this tunnel and showed journalists videos taken by the group that were found by the Israeli army during its ground offensive in the enclave He is seen in a vehicle driving in the tunnel. which gives an idea of the size of the project.
Although they have not officially confirmed it, the Israeli Air Force this week dropped leaflets over the cities of Gaza and Khan Younis – the stronghold of the Sinwar family – offering financial rewards to Gaza residents for providing information on the whereabouts of senior Hamas figures commanders suspended. . Yahya Sinwar’s head was valued at $400,00, the highest amount, while the head of his brother, who commands the Southern Brigade of the al-Qasam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, was valued at $300,000 became.
Hagari promised to “defeat” Hamas and destroy all of its tunnel infrastructurewhere they claim their senior officers, including the Sinwar brothers, are hiding, although it is also where they are likely holding some of the 129 hostages they still hold captive in the enclave, around twenty of whom are estimated to be dead.
“This is Hamas. We will need time to defeat Hamas, but we will hunt down Sinwar and the terrorists involved in the October 7 attack. We will find them above and below ground (…) We have two missions. “War: destroying Hamas and rescuing our hostages,” said Hagari.
The newly discovered tunnel, where numerous weapons were found, is a key element of Hamas’ extensive tunnel network. Equipped with reinforced concrete, electricity, ventilation, sewage, communication networks and roads for vehicular traffic.
The army assures that since the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began on October 27, it has found numerous tunnels under hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure, such as the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which it has besieged for more than 20 years and attacked for ten days, forcing the displacement of more than thousands of wounded and evacuees.
The exit mouth of this tunnel with a diameter of more than three meters, was discovered in a huge hole dug by Israeli troops on the surface, just 400 meters from the Erez border crossing that connects northern Gaza with Israel. The tunnel was a “key piece” of the attack, allowing thousands of Hamas militants to enter undetected and kill and kidnap soldiers. The bodies of two soldiers
There are still remnants of aggression in Erez; Walls were torn down, furniture destroyed, the electrical system destroyed – to dismantle the surveillance cameras – garrisons of soldiers reduced to ashes and bullet holes everywhere.
“Hamas has chosen terror, conflict and terror by using its people on the surface as human shields and by using all Gaza civilians who entered through the Erez crossing to work and make money in Israel, and used her as a decoy to prevent the two from living together.” “The citizens of Gaza have chosen terrorism,” said the rear admiral.
That’s what the army says The Erez Crossing was a “symbol of hope” for the people of Gaza: 18,000 had work permits in Israel and earned six times the salary in Gaza, and 7,000 crossed this border crossing to receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals in 2022.
Some 19,000 Palestinians have died from Israeli bombing and fighting since the war began on October 7, including nearly 8,000 children; According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, more than 51,000 people are injured and an estimated 7,500 bodies are trapped under the rubble.