TEL AVIV – During the war in Gaza, the Israeli military has spoken frequently about the challenges posed by the vast network of tunnels that the militant Hamas group has built under Palestinian territory. Israel says Hamas, long designated a terrorist group by the United States, Israel and many other nations, has used the tunnels to transport supplies and carry out attacks – including its unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the current one triggered war.
On Friday, CBS News was escorted by Israel Defense Forces troops through the gap that Hamas militants blew on Oct. 7 in the wall protecting the Erez border crossing into Gaza. All along the street, Hamas militants caused destruction as they carried out their murderous rampage.
This image, taken during a media tour organized by the Israeli military on December 15, 2023, shows the damage to the Erez border crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attack on October 7. JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty
Since that day, the Erez border crossing has become part of an extremely complex war zone. Israeli forces are moving in and out of the gap in the wall and conducting ground operations in the Gaza Strip as they continue to hunt down Hamas militants.
Just about 500 meters beyond the border, Israeli forces made a shocking discovery. Practically right under their noses, they found the entrance to a huge tunnel, about two miles long and wide enough to drive a small car through. Water supply pipes and power and communications cables lined the walls.
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Made of reinforced concrete and reaching more than 15 meters deep, the IDF said it was a key part of a vast network of tunnels used by Hamas militants to hide weapons and move and hold their hostages.
An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel near the border with Israel in the northern Gaza Strip on December 15, 2023. AMIR LEVY/Getty
Even for Israeli forces, which have known about Hamas's tunnels for years, the extent of the illegal infrastructure discovered so close to the Israeli border came as an unpleasant surprise.
“This is the largest tunnel we have ever found,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari told CBS News inside the tunnel. He said this was indicative of the complexity of the IDF's mission to rescue the approximately 130 people believed to still be trapped in Gaza while also hunting down the Hamas militants who kidnapped them.
The urgent need for help and the anger of the hostages' families are fueling calls for a ceasefire in Gaza
“It means hunting and fighting them wherever they are – in the tunnels and above ground,” Hagari told CBS News.
This inevitably poses a risk to the people believed to still be held hostage in Gaza.
“I think we are managing the risk,” Hagari said. “Remember that when we rescue our hostages, we want to bring the hostages home alive. This is very complex. We want them to come home alive.”
Later that day, the IDF admitted that some of its soldiers had accidentally shot three Israeli hostages who showed up – shirtless and holding a white flag – during an operation in Gaza, causing not only fear for the remaining prisoners, but also serious ones raised questions. including the question of why the troops had fired on unarmed men in the first place.
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