In an unexpected twist, Israeli military forces discovered a large tunnel shaft on the Gaza strip. Boasting a proximity close to what used to be a bustling crossing into Israel, this unveiling thrusts a series of enigmatic questions into the limelight. Notably, the gaping loophole in Israeli surveillance has added fuel to the flames of controversy, considering the preparations by Hamas for the cataclysmic attack on October 7th went unnoticed.
Behold the entrance of the labyrinth - a mere stone's throw away from the compactly secured Erez crossing and an adjoining Israeli base. This tunnel, the military tells us, stretches over an impressive 4 kilometers, gingerly linking up with an intricate network of tunnels that pervades Gaza. Think you’ve heard it all? Wait! It’s so expansive that cars can glide through unhindered.
According to the army, the tunnel was a busy transit route for vehicles, militants, and supplies maneuvered for the attack on October 7th. Recalling the horrifying events of that dark day, militants wielding a rocket-propelled grenade shattered a chunk of the wall near the Erez crossing, stormed the military base, and snuffed out the lives of at least three soldiers before absconding back to Gaza with hostages.
The savagery did not stop there, as several other points along the border wall also suffered security breaches, allowing militants to infiltrate Israeli territory, cause widespread destruction, and take hundreds of people hostage.
An attack of such colossal magnitude triggered a full-scale war that saw over 18,000 lives lost in the Gaza Strip over 10 tumultuous weeks. Israel, the wounds of destruction still fresh, made it clear that erasing the grim blueprint of Hamas' tunnel network was a high-priority mission.
Fingers are being pointed at Israel's military, intelligence, and political officials for failing to anticipate the attack. Trying to snuff out the ensuing speculations, Maj. Nir Dinar, commented that this specific tunnel's existence was not on the radar since the Israeli border defenses were more attuned to detecting tunnels intended to infiltrate Israel.
At first glance, it seems like audacious audacity, constructing a tunnel directly under a garage to shield it from prying Israeli drones and satellites. The size of it has been quite a shocker when considering the fact that Hamas already has an extensive network of tunnels.
This discovery further underscores the immense magnitude of the attack and effectively shifts the Erez crossing into the sharp focus of observers. The much-revered crossing, once on bustling duty processing the movement of Palestinians into Israel, has been left grazed and out of service since the attack.
Thankfully, the dedicated “Yahalom” unit of the Israeli army, specializing in tackling tunnel warfare, has been working relentlessly to excavate the tunnel since its detection, revealing the sinister shells of weapons once hidden within its belly.
Endeavors are underway to destroy the tunnel and continue the search for militants hiding in others. Maj. Nir Dinar who inspected the tunnel reiterated the objective eloquently, “We will hunt them even if we need to go down to the tunnels,”.
