IDF confirms tunnel infiltrated 200 meters into Israeli territory; IDF destroys tunnel worth over $3 million in cement, electrical equipment and paid labor.
The IDF destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Thursday, the 15th tunnel destroyed this year.
The kilometer-long tunnel was detected early Thursday and ran 200 meters into Israeli territory. The IDF confirmed it “destroyed a cross-border terror tunnel that infiltrated Israel from Gaza built by Hamas with the aim of carrying out an attack on a nearby Israeli community.”
The tunnel, the IDF estimated, was worth $3 million of cement, electrical equipment, paid labor and included communication systems. It reported “hours of labor were invested in this tunnel instead of investing in healthcare, education, or food for the people of Gaza.”
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus reported that Hamas has changed its tunnel construction and excavation in efforts to avoid detection, stating following the tunnel’s destruction Thursday “This specific tunnel, in the way it was built, indicates that Hamas is trying to challenge our counter-tunnel efforts. They are changing the way they excavate in order to make it more difficult for us to detect them.”
The IDF last destroyed a tunnel in Gaza in August. Following dozens of rocket attacks, the Israel Air Force carried out airstrikes on several Hamas targets, including a cement factory used to build tunnels, 10 Hamas military compounds, a maritime tunnel, a weapons storage and manufacturing facility and several more.
The IDF continues to destroy Hamas tunnels and thwart Palestinian terror on Israel. Palestinians under Hamas and Islamic Jihad factions continuously threaten and attack Israel, mostly with arson balloons and violent protests on the border.
Photo: IDF Spokespersons Unit/Shutterstock.com
