IDF shows media a Hamas tunnel, where holes drop several metres deeper to other parts of the network
Hamas has always had a reputation for having some of the best underground tunnels of any militia.
In a media tour arranged by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) into Gaza, one of the most impressive tunnels the Israeli military has discovered was on full display.
The entrance was just inside Gaza, only a few hundred metres from the Erez border crossing with Israel, where there was a gaping hole in the sand.
IDF troops at the entrance to the tunnel they say was built by Hamas
Inside was a heavily fortified tunnel, and without doubt the largest tunnel I have ever seen in Gaza.
There was plenty of room inside the reinforced concrete tunnel. A steel pipe ran along the top of it, and electricity cables dangled inside.
The IDF said the tunnel ran for more than two miles into central Gaza City.
It’s no secret Hamas has been building its tunnel infrastructure for years. It uses them to transport fighters, not only belonging to Hamas but also other militant groups like Islamic Jihad, from one end of the strip to the other.
Tunnels are also used to move and store weapons, launch attacks against Israel and, in this war, to hold hostages.
With every war with Israel, tunnels are destroyed and rebuilt again. But the extent of the labyrinth beneath Gaza is difficult to fathom, it’s believed it may stretch 150-200 miles.
There were no lights inside. The IDF had placed a metal grid on the floor to cover holes in the ground that dropped by up to 15 metres, down to other parts of the subterranean complex.
Metal grids cover holes that drop by up to 15 metres, down to other parts of the subterranean complex
Cables dangled from the roof of the tunnel
One IDF spokesman told me the degree of sophistication and engineering used to build and maintain these tunnels was “impressive”.
In the distance you could hear small arms fire and occasional explosions. Smoke hung over the northeastern tip of Gaza, and you could see large blocks of apartments, reduced to rubble.
The land inside Gaza next to the Israel border, which is known as the buffer zone, was churned up by Israeli tanks and bulldozers.
The IDF’s automatic machine gun towers – which surround the Gaza strip and are positioned along the wall – were clearly heavily damaged in the 7 October attack by Hamas.
The covered walkway from the Erez crossing into Gaza was destroyed, along with Israeli border offices adjacent to the crossing.
Hamas has long promoted its network of tunnels on its official television news station, but I can’t recall them ever allowing journalists to visit those it built for fighting.
Block after block of flats in northern Gaza reduced to rubble
Israel insists its war must continue until the tunnels are destroyed and Hamas is defeated. Its media tour was aimed at showing journalists what they were dealing with beneath Gaza.
The problem is the tunnels are embedded into the Gaza strip. This tiny strip of land is among the most densely populated places on earth, so of course the tunnels run deep below homes, schools and neighbourhoods.
Hamas has been perfecting its tunnel-building over the last 20 years. Members of the group and smuggling barons constructed them under the southern Egyptian border after Israel imposed its siege on Gaza in 2006.
I have visited the underground networks at the bottom of Gaza over the years, and they were crude in comparison to the one we were shown in the north.
In the south, the tunnels were carved out of sand, often only high enough to crawl through, and the men who dug them were often killed when ceilings collapsed.
Entrance to the tunnel
IDF soldiers took media on a tour of one tunnel
While this war continues, Hamas’s fighters are still holed up inside these subterranean passages, as are Israeli hostages.
It’s left the IDF with a dilemma: how to destroy the network without killing hostages in the process.
As for Gaza’s civilian infrastructure above ground, the United Nations says 45% of the territory’s housing stock has been destroyed.
Israel says it wants to protect civilians during this war, but Gaza’s Health officials say that more than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed so far.
The tunnels have given Hamas a tremendous military strategic advantage in this war – Israel wants them destroyed once and for all.
World
Charlie Kirk’s widow pays tribute to ‘perfect’ husband and says her cries ‘will echo around the world’
Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, described him as a “perfect” husband and father, and said the “evildoers” who assassinated him have no idea what they have unleashed.
“You have no idea of the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” she said on Friday in her first public remarks since the assassination.
“If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea, you have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world, you have no idea.”
Erika Kirk speaks following her husband’s assassination. Pic: Turning Point USA
Mrs Kirk addressed the public after a silent prayer from the studio where her husband recorded his podcast.
She thanked President Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance and his “phenomenal” wife, Usha, for the support, and praised the emergency teams who tried to save her husband’s life.
“Charlie said if he ever ran for office, his top priority would be to revive the American family. That was his priority,” Mrs Kirk said.
“But most of all, Charlie loved his children. And he loved me. With all his heart. And he made sure I knew that every day,” she said.
She called him a “perfect” father and husband, as she held back tears. She also talked about some of his favourite hobbies.
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Vice president JD Vance, his wife Usha, and Erika Kirk exit Air Force Two together. Pic: Reuters
Mrs Kirk said the campus tour that his organisation, Turning Point USA, had started will continue – and urged young people to join her late husband’s political movement.
“I promise I will never let your legacy die,” she said, addressing her husband, vowing to make his movement the “biggest thing this nation has ever seen”.
Mrs Kirk says she doesn’t remember the last time she slept, and shared a story about their daughter when she ran into her arms and asked: “Where’s daddy?”
“What do you tell a three-year-old?”
Mrs Kirk finished her remarks, speaking directly to her husband: “I can’t wait to see you again one day.”
“God bless you all, and may God bless America,” she said as she wrapped up her speech.
World
UK joins NATO operation to bolster Europe’s eastern flank after Russian drone incursions into Poland
NATO is to bolster Europe’s eastern flank, including the use of UK military resources, after Russia’s “reckless and unacceptable” violation of Polish airspace.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced operation ‘Eastern Sentry’ on Friday, involving the deployment of equipment on the border with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine to deter potential Russian aggression.
Poland shot down Russian drones which flew over the country on Wednesday, something the military alliance has portrayed as an attempt by Moscow to test NATO’s military response.
It underlines long-held concerns about the potential expansion of Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine.
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Michael Clarke: Russia looking to frighten NATO
Russia said its drones went astray because they were jammed, but European leaders believe the incursions were a deliberate provocation by Russia.
“It’s reckless and unacceptable. We can’t have Russian drones entering allied airspace,” Mr Rutte told a news conference.
Mark Rutte described Russian drones entering Polish airspace as ‘reckless’. Pic: Reuters
He added that allies, including the UK, France, Germany and Denmark, have so far committed to the mission with others set to join.
In a statement, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said: “The UK is fully committed to playing our part in NATO’s Eastern Sentry following the reckless and dangerous airspace violations by Russia”. It added that the details of the UK’s contribution would be announced soon.
Yvette Cooper visited Ukraine on Friday, her first visit to the country since becoming foreign secretary after a cabinet shake-up by Sir Keir Starmer.
Ms Cooper described her trip, which included a meeting with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine.
“The UK will not stand idly by as Putin continues his barbaric invasion of Ukraine,” Ms Cooper said, noting what she said was the Russian president’s “complete disregard for sovereignty” by sending drones into NATO airspace.
Yvette Cooper met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday. Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Prince Harry also made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday, where he met with wounded service members.
NATO already has substantial forces in eastern Europe, including thousands of troops, but the alliance did not explain how many additional forces would be involved in the new operation.
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Prince Harry’s surprise visit to Ukraine
Speaking at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters, US General Alexus Grynkewich told reporters the additional resources will enable the alliance to “plug gaps in the line” and concentrate forces wherever they’re needed while improving communications across NATO’s entire eastern flank.
NATO detailed a modest number of additional military assets – including two F-16 fighter jets and a frigate from Denmark, three Rafale fighter jets from France and four Eurofighter jets from Germany.
The announcement also coincided with a joint military exercise involving thousands of Russian and Belarusian troops, which began on Friday.
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Meanwhile, new measures were announced by the UK against Russia on Friday.
They included bans on 70 vessels the UK says are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions.
Some 30 individuals and companies – including Chinese and Turkey-based firms – were also sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
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Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, dismissed Donald Trump’s suggestion that the drone incursion into Poland may have been “a mistake”.
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake,” Mr Tusk wrote on X. “But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
US-led efforts to steer Moscow and Kyiv toward a peace settlement have so far failed to progress.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said talks to end the war were currently on “pause” even though channels of communication remain open.
Thousands of troops are taking part in a joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus, as tensions with the EU run high following a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace earlier this week.
The Zapad joint military exercise which began on Friday will involve drills in both Russia and Belarus as well as in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Belarusian defence officials initially said about 13,000 troops would participate in the drill, but in May, its defence ministry said that would be cut nearly in half.
It comes just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down Russian drones over its airspace.
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Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday morning hit back at a suggestion by US President Donald Trump on Thursday that the incursion may have been a “mistake”.
He said in a post on X: “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
Russia said its forces had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the incursions and that it had not intended to hit any targets in Poland.
Friday also saw Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper travelling to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on the same day the UK announced fresh sanctions against Moscow.
Prince Harry was also in Kyiv for a surprise visit to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
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Prince Harry arrives in Kyiv
Ms Cooper, who was appointed foreign secretary last week, posted about her visit on X saying: “The UK’s support for Ukraine is steadfast. I am pleased to be in Kyiv on my first visit as Foreign Secretary.”
The UK’s new sanctions include bans on 70 vessels that Britain says are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions already in place.
Yvette Cooper with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/PA
Some 30 individuals and companies – including Chinese and Turkey-based firms – have also been sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
Read more from Sky News:
Maps and videos show seconds before Charlie Kirk was shot
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Meanwhile on the frontline, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s oil-loading Primorsk port overnight, an SBU official said.
The attack caused fires and suspended oil-loading operations, the official added.
Russian defence systems also intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight.
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