<p>Israeli forces battling Hamas said they had uncovered an unusually large concrete and iron-girded tunnel, designed to carry carloads of militant fighters from Gaza right up to the border.</p><p>Razing or disabling hundreds of kilometres of underground passages and bunkers is among the aims of the offensive Israel launched after Hamas gunmen went on a killing and kidnapping spree in its southern towns and army bases on Oct. 7.</p><p>Among sites that Hamas overran in that attack was the Erez border crossing between Gaza and Israel. Just 100 metres (yards) south of the checkpoint, concealed in a sand dune, the military showed reporters the exit point of what it said was a flagship Hamas project.</p>.WHO delivers supplies to Gaza's Al Shifa hospital in joint UN mission. <p>The tunnel ran down diagonally to a depth of 50 metres, where it expanded to a relatively capacious 3 metres (10 feet) in height and width, with electrical fittings.</p><p>Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari put the full length of the tunnel at 4 km (2.5 miles) - enough to reach into northern Gaza City, once the heart of Hamas governance and now a devastated combat zone.</p><p>It was "the biggest tunnel we found in Gaza ... meant to target the (Erez) crossing," Hagari said, without specifying whether it was used by Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack.</p><p>"Millions of dollars were invested in this tunnel. It took years to build this tunnel ... Vehicles could drive through."</p><p>Hamas did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the Israeli account.</p><p>Generally the tunnels shown to the media by the group, or by the Israeli military after their discovery, have been narrow and low - designed for single-file movement of gunmen on foot. The tunnel shown by Hagari had shafts plunging vertically downward that, he said, suggested it was part of a wider network.</p><p>The tunnels have been a challenge for Israel's engineers, worried that the networks could conceal hostages held by Hamas. That has slowed an offensive whose steep Palestinian civilian toll has alarmed world powers.</p><p>Hagari showed reporters a video of Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and himself a senior operative in the group, sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle that he said was driving inside the tunnel.</p><p>On Oct. 29, Israel's Ynet news site reported that troops killed several gunmen who attacked Erez after accessing the area from a tunnel. Hagari's office did not respond to a query on whether that referred to the tunnel he showed. </p>
<p>Israeli forces battling Hamas said they had uncovered an unusually large concrete and iron-girded tunnel, designed to carry carloads of militant fighters from Gaza right up to the border.</p><p>Razing or disabling hundreds of kilometres of underground passages and bunkers is among the aims of the offensive Israel launched after Hamas gunmen went on a killing and kidnapping spree in its southern towns and army bases on Oct. 7.</p><p>Among sites that Hamas overran in that attack was the Erez border crossing between Gaza and Israel. Just 100 metres (yards) south of the checkpoint, concealed in a sand dune, the military showed reporters the exit point of what it said was a flagship Hamas project.</p>.WHO delivers supplies to Gaza's Al Shifa hospital in joint UN mission. <p>The tunnel ran down diagonally to a depth of 50 metres, where it expanded to a relatively capacious 3 metres (10 feet) in height and width, with electrical fittings.</p><p>Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari put the full length of the tunnel at 4 km (2.5 miles) - enough to reach into northern Gaza City, once the heart of Hamas governance and now a devastated combat zone.</p><p>It was "the biggest tunnel we found in Gaza ... meant to target the (Erez) crossing," Hagari said, without specifying whether it was used by Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack.</p><p>"Millions of dollars were invested in this tunnel. It took years to build this tunnel ... Vehicles could drive through."</p><p>Hamas did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the Israeli account.</p><p>Generally the tunnels shown to the media by the group, or by the Israeli military after their discovery, have been narrow and low - designed for single-file movement of gunmen on foot. The tunnel shown by Hagari had shafts plunging vertically downward that, he said, suggested it was part of a wider network.</p><p>The tunnels have been a challenge for Israel's engineers, worried that the networks could conceal hostages held by Hamas. That has slowed an offensive whose steep Palestinian civilian toll has alarmed world powers.</p><p>Hagari showed reporters a video of Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and himself a senior operative in the group, sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle that he said was driving inside the tunnel.</p><p>On Oct. 29, Israel's Ynet news site reported that troops killed several gunmen who attacked Erez after accessing the area from a tunnel. Hagari's office did not respond to a query on whether that referred to the tunnel he showed. </p>