Israel Destroys Extensive 2-Km-Long Tunnel By Gaza-Egypt Buffer Zone

Jerusalem, 5 June, 2024 (TPS) -- Soldiers in the Rafah area discovered and destroyed an extensive two-km-long tunnel that reached up to the Philadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.

The IDF added that the tunnel connects to other shafts in the Rafah area.

It also contained blast doors, inside which the troops located weapons such as AK-47 rifles, anti-tank missiles and explosives, as well as intelligence material.

The tunnel route was investigated and destroyed by the army’s elite combat engineering Yahalom Unit.

The Philadelphi corridor is a buffer zone that runs the length of the 14-km Gaza-Egypt border. It was created in 2006 to prevent weapons smuggling after Israel disengaged from the Strip. Hamas violently seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority the following year.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 120 remaining hostages, more than 30 are believed dead.