Israel claims to have discovered biggest Hamas tunnel yet in Gaza
Israeli forces battling Hamas claim to have uncovered the largest Hamas tunnel found in Gaza, designed to carry carloads of Hamas fighters up to the border with Israel.
Neutralising the hundreds of kilometres of underground tunnels and bunkers in Gaza is among the aims of the Israeli offensive, launched after Hamas fighters went on a killing and kidnapping spree after entering Israeli territory on 7 October.
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Among the sites Hamas overran in the attack was the Erez border crossing between Gaza and Israel.
Just 100m south of the checkpoint, concealed in a sand dune, the Israeli military on Sunday showed reporters the exit point of what it called a flagship Hamas project.
Pic: IDF
The tunnel ran down diagonally to a depth of 50m, where it expanded to 3m in height and width, and appeared equipped with ventilation and electricity systems.
The Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) chief military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, put the full length of the tunnel at 4km – enough to reach into northern Gaza City, once the heart of Hamas governance and now a devastated combat zone.
Pic: IDF
It was “the biggest tunnel we found in Gaza… meant to target the (Erez) crossing,” Rear Admiral Hagari said, without specifying whether it was used by Hamas for the 7 October attacks.
“Millions of dollars were invested in this tunnel. It took years to build this tunnel… Vehicles could drive through,” he added.
Hamas has not yet commented on the IDF’s claims.
Pic: IDF
In general, other tunnels shown to journalists by Hamas, or by the Israeli military after their discovery, have been narrow and low – designed for single-file movement of gunmen on foot.
The latest tunnel shown by Rear Admiral Hagari had shafts plunging vertically downward that, he said, suggested it was part of a wider network.
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Rear Admiral Hagari also showed reporters a video of Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and himself a senior operative in the group, sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle that he said was being driven inside the tunnel.
A video released by the Israeli army claims to show Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, travelling in a car through the tunnel
On 29 October, Israel’s Ynet news site reported that troops killed several gunmen who attacked Erez after accessing the area from a tunnel.
Rear Admiral Hagari’s office did not respond to a question about whether that referred to the tunnel he showed.
Israel has approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified length of time, Israeli officials say.
According to Reuters, the plan includes distributing aid, though supplies will not be let in yet.
The Israeli official told the agency that the newly approved offensive plan would move Gaza’s civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’s hands.
On Sunday, the United Nations rejected what it said was a new plan for aid to be distributed in what it described as Israeli hubs.
Israeli cabinet ministers approved plans for the new offensive on Monday morning, hours after it was announced that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers are being called up.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far failed to achieve his goal of destroying Hamas or returning all the hostages, despite more than a year of brutal war in Gaza.
Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza. Pic: AP
Officials say the plan will help with these war aims but it would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
They said the plan included the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories”.
It would also try to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza.
The UN rejected the plan, saying it would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies.
It said it “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy”.
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More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF launched its ground offensive in the densely-populated territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It followed the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 people taken hostage.
A fragile ceasefire that saw a pause in the fighting and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners collapsed earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian “masters” after the group launched a missile attack on the country’s main international airport.
A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.
“Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Mr Netanyahu wrote on X. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”
Israeli police officers investigate the missile crater. Pic: Reuters
The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.
Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said.
Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.
The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave.
Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.
Iran’s defence minister later told a state TV broadcaster that if the country was attacked by the US or Israel, it would target their bases, interests and forces where necessary.
Israel’s military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.
Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later.
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Yemen’s Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted, some have penetrated the country’s missile defence systems and caused damage.
Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas.
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