Israeli military claims to find largest tunnel ever constructed by Hamas in Gaza

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Israel's military claims it discovered the largest underground tunnel ever constructed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The massive tunnel purportedly spans more than 2 1/2 miles after soldiers located the entrance to the cavern about 400 yards away from the Erez Crossing, between Israel and the northern end of the Gaza Strip.

The tunnel lies 165 feet deep and connects to a large warehouse at the opposite end, but it did not appear to cut across Israeli territory.

The Israeli Defense Forces posted a video to X showing the sophisticated tunnel opening that is wide enough for a small vehicle to drive through.

The footage of the tunnel was filmed by Hamas militants, and then recovered by Israeli intelligence agents.

The tunnel has several branches and junctions, as well as rail tracks to move heavy equipment, plumbing, electricity and communications capabilities, the IDF said.

Parts of the shaft also were equipped with blast doors that would prevent Israeli troops from reaching the innermost recesses of the tunnel network.

Security officials said the tunnel had been used to help launch attacks against Israeli forces in the region, while the latest discovery shed light on the high level of financing and engineering that goes into building the underground hideouts.

"Many weapons" were found inside, Israeli officials said, although there was no way to independently confirm the claims as Israel continued its ground invasion in an effort to destroy the tunnel network.

"Attack operations were launched from the aforementioned tunnel, targeting our forces during the fighting in the Gaza Strip," said IDF spokesperson Avijaa Adraei, adding that "saboteurs" had been killed while coming out of the tunnel in recent days.

The tunnel system was reportedly contrived by Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.

In a separate find, Israeli troops discovered another Hamas tunnel underneath a baby's cot inside the basement of a building in northern Gaza, according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.