IDF Forces Destroy Two-Kilometer Hamas Tunnel Network in Southern Gaza

The Israeli military announced Friday that combat teams from the Givati Brigade and the elite Yahalom engineering unit have destroyed a significant Hamas tunnel network, approximately two kilometers in length, located in southern Gaza. The operation, led by the Gaza Division's engineering unit, is part of a broader effort to clear the area along the "yellow line" border of terror infrastructure.

This destruction represents a substantial engineering blow to Hamas's underground capabilities. The operation is one in a series of targeted missions conducted by engineering forces and Yahalom against Hamas's tunnel network, continuing even during the ceasefire to prevent the organization from rebuilding its capabilities. In the past month alone, forces cleared over two kilometers of additional tunnel routes in central and southern Gaza.

Previous operations have also targeted tunnels in the central Gaza Strip, uncovering underground living quarters, weapons, rockets, and powerful explosives. Simultaneously, engineering efforts are exacting a heavy toll on Hamas in northern Gaza. Since the start of the ceasefire, over 26 kilometers of tunnel routes east of the "yellow line" have been neutralized in the northern Gaza Strip alone.

These efforts include the destruction of a one-kilometer tunnel in early September by forces from the Northern Brigade and Yahalom, and in April, four tunnels totaling about 800 meters were destroyed, containing command rooms, mine caches, and materials for explosives intended to target Israeli forces.