The Israeli army destroyed a large Hamas tunnel which had infiltrated into Israeli territory from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, IDF Spokesman Brig-Gen. Ronen Manelis announced on Sunday.
The tunnel, which stretched a few hundred meters into southern Israel, was identified several weeks ago using “unique tools combined with advanced technology, intelligence and operational capabilities,” Manelis said.
The neutralization, which was carried out by the IDF’s Southern Command, “is a necessary defensive action to prevent harm to civilians and soldiers,” he said, adding that “it was a quiet neutralization. No one heard it. But the tunnel has been destroyed.”
“Locating two terror tunnels in recent weeks is an operational success based on advanced technology, attesting to a rise in the level of the tools developed and used by the IDF.”
In late October, the IDF destroyed a cross-border Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) attack tunnel, killing 12 terrorists including two senior Islamic Jihad commanders and two Hamas members. The
group threatened to retaliate against Israel for the deaths of its members, leading the IDF to deploy Iron Dome missile defense batteries in central Israel.
Two weeks ago, the group fired 12 projectiles aimed at the IDF post and a cement factory on the northeastern edge of the Gaza Strip where construction crews are working on Israel’s new underground barrier with the Strip.
According to Manelis, while the tunnel destroyed on Sunday was discovered several weeks ago, there was no connection between the PIJ barrage and the tunnel.
The tunnel destroyed on Sunday was found deeper in Israeli territory than the tunnel belonging to PIJ, which was found on the border and was in advanced stages of construction, Manelis said, stressing that Hamas had put significant effort into it.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Sunday that terror tunnel which cross into Israeli territory are a threat that cannot be accepted and that Israel has reached new levels of technological know-how in the fight against them.
“I hope that in the coming months the tunnel threat faced by the residents of the Gaza border will become a thing of the past,” he said.
The IDF has been investing extensive effort in locating cross-border tunnels from Gaza after several soldiers were killed by Hamas militants during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when they emerged from numerous tunnels dug into Israel by the terror group. Hamas’s tunnel infrastructure surprised the IDF and left the residents of border communities concerned about possible tunnels beneath their homes.
Gadi Yarkoni, the head of the Eshkol Regional council, said that they are in “constant and close contact” with relevant military officials who informed them about the tunnel.
“There is no change in the guidelines (for residents),” he said, adding that “Eshkol residents are experienced in facing these challenges and are an example of resilience in Israeli society. We intend to continue to deal with the issues that are important to us in the development of communities, in building more schools and kindergartens, in the development of infrastructure and agriculture.”
According to Manelis, civilian communities were not threatened at any moment by the tunnel [which was at least 1 kilometer from the nearest community], which “is a flagrant violation of Israel’s sovereignty and cannot be accepted.”
In response to the tunnel threat, Israel has begun building a state-of-the-art underground barrier, which has a system of advanced sensor and monitoring devices to detect tunnels combined with a 6 m. high above-ground smart fence.
While the IDF is confident that no tunnel will be able to cross the underground barrier, there remains a large amount of construction on the barrier which has yet to be completed, including in the area where the tunnel was located.
The destruction of the tunnel did not lead to any deaths, Manelis said, adding that even if there were he was “not sorry,” and that Israel will continue to take all measures at its disposal to destroy any cross-border tunnels.
“I advise any group who wants to threaten Israel to think twice,” he said. “These tunnels will be a death trap to anyone inside.”
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who serves as a member of Israel's Security Cabinet, said on Sunday that "Within a year or two we will topple Hamas's leading project, the terror tunnels, so now is a time to be extra alert. We must also prepare for new aerial or naval threats, since Hamas is always looking to innovate."
"During Protective Edge I led the push to destroy the terror tunnels, now the IDF destroys them before they become a threat. Today, those digging tunnels are digging their death trap," added Bennett. "Security forces have developed a systematic system for the location and destruction of the tunnels. It will take time, but Hamas's tunnels will crumble."