Underneath Gaza is a complex network of tunnels built by Hamas over the course of several years.
Also known as the "Hamas metro," the network has been described by the IDF as an underground city, which also expands beneath the borders and into Israeli communities near the Gaza border.
These tunnels were used to transport rockets and other weapons, as well as bunkers and Hamas command centers.
Other tunnels also exist underneath Rafah, the city along the Egyptian border, which are used to smuggle goods.
Despite repeating his account twice, Alkadi's claims were dismissed. A few days later, the bodies of six hostages were discovered in the same tunnel.
The IDF said the two-kilometer tunnel was being used by Hamas as a prolonged hideout.
Israeli forces also found maps of Israeli communities that bordered the Palestinian enclave.
The operation is believed to have significantly disrupted Hamas's terror capabilities in the region.
"Terrorists in the North were on full alert, ready to act" against Israel after October 7, the official senior explained.
The tunnel contained several long-term living areas used by Hamas terrorists throughout the war.
The Jerusalem Post Magazine takes a look back at the year since the October 7 massacre and the Israel-Hamas War.
Yahya Sinwar's plan for October 7 and Hamas's resurrection after the war was planned years in advance.
In 1981, Israel destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor, leading Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah to build underground facilities, countered by bunker-busting bombs like the GBU-28.
IDF Maj.-Gen. Dan Goldfus considers that his breakthrough in overcoming Hamas’s tunnel warfare is not about a single moment in which he had an epiphany but the result of hard, exhaustive work.
JPOST Digital Library
