Jerusalem, 17 December, 2023 (TPS) — Israel uncovered the largest Hamas tunnel complex ever found right at the Erez border crossing, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday.
The massive tunnel system splits into several branches, spanning over four kilometers (2.5 miles). The IDF said the tunnel reached within 400 meters of the Erez crossing on Gaza’s northern border.
“Hamas has persistently and deliberately invested enormous amounts of money and resources into terrorist tunnels that serve only one purpose – attacking the State of Israel and its residents. This strategic attack tunnel network, large enough to drive vehicles through, was spearheaded by Muhammad Sinwar and intentionally dug near a crossing dedicated to the movement of Gazans into Israel for work and medical care,” said IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
“For Hamas, attacking the people of Israel continues to take priority over supporting the people of Gaza,” Hecht added.
The military has exposed hundreds of terror tunnel shafts throughout the Gaza Strip. Many are built from reinforced concrete and are equipped with electricity, ventilation, sewage, communication networks and rails, like the one we are exposing. Since October 7, Israel has exposed multiple tunnels built under hospitals, schools, kindergartens and other sensitive sites.
The Erez crossing is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza for pedestrian traffic. It is primarily used by diplomats, aid workers, journalists and Palestinians with work or medical permits.
According to the IDF, in 2022, over 800,000 Gazans crossed via Erez Crossing; in the first half of 2023, 550,000 did, putting the crossing on track to facilitate over one million crossings before the war.
The crossing supported passage of some 18,500 Gazan workers with Israeli work permits. Meanwhile over 7,000 Gazans with medical permits entered Israel via Erez to receive treatment in 2022. Another 5,000 received medical permits in the first half of 2023.
Kerem Shalom, a separate crossing near the borders of Israel, Gaza and Egypt, is used for commercial deliveries to the Strip.
Since the October 7 attacks, both crossings were closed for security reasons. Israel reopened Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday for the first time to since the war began, allowing a convoy of 79 trucks to enter the Strip with humanitarian aid.
At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The number of men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners held captive in Gaza by Hamas is now believed to be 129. Other people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.