Taking out Hamas’ million-dollar ‘root’ tunnel is game changer, analyst says

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TheIsraeli Defense Forces(IDF) released a video showing what it describes as one of Hamas’s “most complex” underground infrastructures extending beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

According to the IDF, the seven-kilometer-long “root tunnel” runs roughly 25 meters underground, contains about 80 rooms and was used for command operations, weapons storage and sheltering Hamas operatives.

The video shared on X on Nov.20 travels through reinforced concrete passageways and large chambers, showing the sophistication and scale ofHamas’s underground network.

The Israeli military claims the tunnel originated beneath a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) compound and stretched beneath civilian sites.

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“IDF troops uncovered one of Gaza’s largest and most complex underground routes, over 7 km long, ~25 meters deep, with ~80 hideouts, where abducted IDF officer Lt.Hadar Goldin was held,” the post read.

Israeli analysts say the demolition of this tunnel marks a strategic blow to Hamas and “paves the path to its defeat.”

“The destruction of this tunnel as well as many others like it or similar… as well as other terror facilities pushes Hamas to the edge,” said Professor Kobi Michael, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and the Misgav Institute.

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The tunnel is where some captives were held.

The IDF uncovered one of Gaza’s largest underground Hamas infrastructures, stretching 25 meters deep beneath civilian sites, including mosques and schools in Rafah.

“It is one of the longest and [most] complicated tunnels that have been discovered, but it is not the only one,�

Michael explained thatHamas’ root tunnelsform the backbone of its underground warfare system.

“This is an example of a root tunnel, a strategic one that feeds many tactic tunnels and is used for strategic purposes [such] as command and control, weapon storage, manufacturing platforms of weapon[s] and strategic logistics,” he said.

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“Such a tunnel is usually manned by hundreds of militants and commanders.”

The IDF believes this particular tunnel network may have been connected to the area whereLt.Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier abducted during the 2014 Gaza war, was held captive.Hamas returned Goldin’s remains earlier this month – after more than a decade.

The tunnel’s exposure sheds new light on the extent of its underground operations.

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Israeli forces destroyed a major Hamas tunnel system in Rafah connected to the area where Lt.Hadar Goldin was held, marking a strategic blow to the militant group’s capabilities.

“I have no idea about the cost but if you take into consideration the amount of the building materials, labor and facilities and its length, it is a matter of millions of INS,” he claimed.“Hamas chose routes under sensitive civilian and humanitarian facilities in order to prevent the IDF from attacking the tunnel.”

AsIsrael continues operations in Gaza, the destruction of Hamas’s tunnel networks remains central to its strategy to dismantle the group’s military capabilities and prevent future attacks.

In 2014, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to destroy the tunnels, whichHamas militantsused to infiltrate Israeli territory, “with or without a ceasefire.”

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According to a 2023 investigation by Reuters, Hamas had said it had been using the tunnels to hide hostages seized in its Oct.7 attack on Israel.

Israel’s military said its ground forces had uncovered around 1,500 Hamas tunnels and shafts throughout the Gaza Strip, perthe report.

S.overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.