A video was recently posted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that caught the explosion of a section of a massive 1.5-mile-long Hamas tunnel network.
According to a March 18th tweet by the Israeli Defense Units, combat engineering units were able to demolish a 2.5-kilometer-long tunnel that ran across northern to southern Gaza and was used by Hamas terrorists.
This terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip was the longest one uncovered so far, according to the video’s commentary. The footage began with what seemed like a run by an Israeli Defense Forces member down a lengthy tunnel. The picture goes black and white as the camera pans out to reveal the tunnel network blowing up. You can see a long series of explosions stretching in a zigzag pattern on the ground.
According to Israeli reports, the destruction of this underground complex was carried out by the Yahalom unit and the IDF. Israeli authorities have determined that the 140 square mile Gaza Strip is home to Hamas’s subterranean tunnel network and that the distance to it is between 350 to 450 miles. The IDF had previously estimated 250 miles.
The Yahalom unit, formed in 1995, is an elite subset of combat engineers trained to carry out destructor and sabotage operations. Without jeopardizing lives, the unit deploys robots and several remote-controlled gadgets.
According to the IDF, 18 Hamas members were killed by the Nahal Brigade the day before by snipers, artillery bombardment, and airstrikes.
Israeli forces launched an attack after detecting two Hamas militants preparing to load a motorcycle with weapons and equipment in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. According to the military, an airstrike resulted in the deaths of two more assailants who were targeting the soldiers. The 7th Armored Brigade in Khan Younis killed many Hamas operatives and captured weaponry.
Reports show that about 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to Rafah for safety, and there are international worries about the humanitarian consequences of an impending attack on the city. Before the ground assault, Israel had pledged to relocate the civilian population, but the specifics had not been made public.