Israeli army discovers ‘Sinwar’s secret’ – massive underground tunnel near Gaza border crossing

The Israeli army in recent weeks discovered a massive attack tunnel built by the Hamas terror organization that originates in Jabaliya and ends close to the Erez Border Crossing, the IDF announced on Sunday.

The tunnel runs about four kilometers (2.5 miles) in length, at a depth of up to 50 meters (165 feet) underground and is large enough for motorcycles and cars to drive through. One side of its tunnel shaft ends about 400 meters (a quarter mile) from the Israeli border.

EXPOSED: The biggest Hamas terrorist tunnel discovered.

This massive tunnel system branches out and spans well over four kilometers (2.5 miles). Its entrance is located only 400 meters (1,310 feet) from the Erez Crossing—used by Gazans on a daily basis to enter Israel for work… pic.twitter.com/RcjK5LbvGL

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 17, 2023

The underground system is seen as a strategic asset by Hamas, however, the terror group didn’t utilize the tunnels on Oct. 7, allegedly to keep the option open to use it for another future, large-scale attack against Israeli communities, such as nearby Netiv HaAsara.

“Its width indicates that it was intended to have been used for vehicle-borne raids against civilians in the Gaza border communities,” the commander of the IDF Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, said in a video statement.

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari called it “Sinwar’s secret,” in a nod to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and his brother Muhammad, responsible for the construction project which is estimated to have cost millions of dollars.

The tunnel’s construction included experts who were brought in, especially from Khan Younis, where Muhammad Sinwar is based. The specialist used unknown materials and special digging machines.

The main tunnel was three meters high and several meters wide at some points and is one of the largest found in the Gaza Strip so far, IDF officers told Kan News.

"This is a flagship project of Hamas. It is a branched underground network in which construction dozens of terrorists participated and millions of dollars were invested. This is not a tunnel, this is a city, a terrorist city that Hamas dug,” Hagari stated.

Despite the IDF’s advanced intelligence capabilities and its underground barricade at the border, the large tunnel was only discovered during the current war.

Intelligence operations during the fighting have provided a lot of additional information about Hamas’ terror tunnel project, the IDF said in its statement.

The IDF has released footage of a massive tunnel found near Erez crossing in Gaza. This is footage of the construction of the tunnel from the cameras of the Hamas terrorist organization, the IDF said. pic.twitter.com/a910VN4KIm

— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) December 17, 2023

The systematic discovery, mapping and destruction of the tunnel system, the so-called underground “metro,” is among the main goals of Israel's war in Gaza.

The nearest exit to the Israeli border is located just around 400 meters (a quarter mile) from the Erez Border Crossing, which has been used by workers, merchants and patients who have needed to cross into Israel for medical treatment for years.

The system includes several branches and forms a wide network involving sewerage treatment, electricity, communication, and telephone infrastructures, as well as doors designed to prevent entry by Israeli forces.

The tunnel was discovered when terrorists surprised Israeli soldiers by coming out of one end of its shafts to fire at them. The terrorists were killed and Israeli soldiers later found several weapons inside.