IDF Seals 16-Kilometer Tunnel Where Lt. Hadar Goldin Was Held in Gaza

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) engineering units in the Gaza Division and Southern Command have completed sealing a 16-kilometer underground tunnel where Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was held captive. Lt. Goldin was killed in battle and abducted on August 1, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. This operation is part of the ongoing efforts to recover Israeli captives, with Lt. Goldin’s remains returned to Israel under the framework for returning captives scheduled for November 2025.

The tunnel, located near the Philadelphi Route in southern Rafah, was uncovered by the Southern Command in cooperation with the Yahalom unit and Shayetet 13 naval commandos. Over the past three months, these forces have worked to seal the tunnel using more than 30,000 cubic meters of concrete. The tunnel complex included approximately 80 living chambers and served as a command and control center for Hamas’s military wing, specifically the Rafah Brigade commander, facilitating terrorist operations.

The tunnel passed beneath residential neighborhoods, mosques, kindergartens, clinics, a school, and a UNRWA clinic, highlighting the complexity and strategic use of civilian infrastructure by Hamas. The IDF’s Yahalom unit played a central role in destroying the tunnel system, marking a significant step in undermining Hamas’s underground capabilities in Gaza.