The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that its troops dismantled nearly seven miles of underground tunnel routes used by Hamas in northern Gaza, describing the effort as one of the military’s largest recent engineering operations in the area.
According to the military, approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of tunnels were uncovered and destroyed around Beit Hanoun, a town in northern Gaza that Israeli officials have long described as a Hamas stronghold. The IDF also released a 3D illustration showing what it said was the extent of the underground network beneath the area.
The military said the tunnels ran beneath civilian infrastructure, including homes, roads, and public buildings. Israeli forces also reported dismantling hundreds of above-ground sites that they described as militant infrastructure during the operation.
Footage released by the IDF showed engineering units working inside narrow underground passages and demolishing tunnel shafts. The military said several Hamas operatives were killed during the fighting in the area. Independent verification of the full scale of the tunnel destruction was not immediately available.
Hamas has long relied on an extensive underground tunnel system across Gaza for transporting fighters, storing weapons, and carrying out military operations. Israeli officials often refer to the network as the “Gaza metro.” Previous military assessments and outside analyses have suggested the tunnel system stretches for hundreds of kilometers across the territory.
The latest operation comes amid continuing fighting in Gaza, where Israeli forces have focused heavily on underground infrastructure since the war began following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
