IDF has destroyed only 25% of Hamas’ Gaza tunnels — report

Security sources claim several smuggling tunnels cross the Egyptian border.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

Eighteen months into the Swords of Iron War, security sources made an extraordinary claim on Wednesday, namely that the IDF has succeeded in destroying only approximately one quarter of Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza, according to Channel 12.

The report also claims that the defense establishment believes there are many smuggling tunnels that cross the Egyptian border.

This comes amid concerns over arms smuggling to Hamas and Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, even though experts on the matter have clarified that holding the Philadelphi Corridor will not necessarily prevent smuggling beneath it.

Earlier this year, Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a conference of regional council heads from the Center for Regional Government that the Philadelphi Corridor would remain a buffer zone—just like in Lebanon and Syria.

“I saw with my own eyes quite a few infiltrating tunnels in Philadelphi,” Katz said. “Some of them are closed, and some are open! We had intelligence that Hamas, during the ceasefire, planned to attack soldiers and towns.”

Meanwhile, the IDF continues its ground operation in the Gaza Strip and is expected to expand it further as long as no breakthrough is reached in the negotiations.

At the same time, a surprising phenomenon has emerged in Gaza since the resumption of fighting, reported Channel 12.

The IDF has observed Hamas operatives fleeing the areas in which it is operating and consistently trying to avoid direct contact with soldiers.

According to the defense establishment, the combat has become more decentralized and lacks face-to-face engagement.

This might help explain the scale of the vast network of tunnels underneath Gaza—although within its borders—which the IDF has yet to discover, let alone destroy.