#Israel: Hamas tunnel uncovered by Israeli army

The Israeli army uncovered a Hamas tunnel in recent days stretching from Gaza into Israeli territory for first time since Operation Protective Edge.

‘We have capabilities to detect tunnels that do not exist anywhere else in the world,’ says IDF

It is 30 meters deep, and was likely dug after Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in 2014, according to IDF assessments, though this has not been fully verified. During that operation, at least 34 tunnels were discovered and destroyed by Israeli forces.

The tunnel has since been “neutralized,” an army spokesperson said, but would not elaborate on whether it was destroyed or merely sealed off.

A senior security source said a "systematic, intelligence-based, technological, engineering, and operational" approach resulted in the finding of the tunnel. "We have to turn this event, of finding a tunnel, into a technique, and find more tunnels," he added.

"The challenge is very big. The tunnels are very deep. We have capabilities that do not exist anywhere else in the world. We can detect, at depths of 30 to 40 meters," the source said. "It is a very complex process."

He declined to discuss the technological detection techniques, which remain classified, saying only that "we have developed all sorts of capabilities in recent years, and they have reached the fruition stage."

According to defence sources, prior to Operation Protective Edge, the defence establishment was able to find tunnels through randomly drilling holes next to each other along the Gaza border.

"This [the discovery] was not random, but the result of a pattern. It is a technique that identified their tunnel," the source added.

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