Israeli Forces Uncovers Largest Hamas Tunnel Network in Gaza After Years of Secret Operations

Israeli Defence Forces have revealed one of the largest and most sophisticated tunnel networks ever discovered in Gaza, a seven-kilometre-long subterranean fortress where Hamas concealed the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an officer killed during the 2014 war, until his body was finally recovered and returned to Israel earlier this month after more than eleven years.

Running at depths of up to 25 metres beneath densely populated civilian areas in Rafah, the sprawling complex includes approximately 80 separate rooms and deliberately snakes under sensitive sites such as a UNRWA compound, multiple mosques, medical clinics, and kindergartens, effectively using civilian infrastructure as a shield against detection and destruction. The IDF released detailed video footage showing reinforced concrete corridors, electrical systems, and living quarters designed for extended stays by senior operatives.

Elite Yahalom combat engineering and Shayetet 13 naval commando units mapped the entire route, identifying command-and-control chambers previously occupied by top Hamas figures, including Muhammad Shabana and Mohammed Sinwar, both eliminated in targeted strikes in May. The tunnel functioned as a strategic headquarters for planning attacks, storing large quantities of weapons, and enabling rapid movement of fighters away from Israeli surveillance and airstrikes.

Also Read: Israel Airstrikes Kill 5 More Palestinians in Southern Gaza; Death Toll Rises to 28

In a parallel operation, Israeli forces arrested Marwan Al-Hams, a Hamas terrorist directly implicated in determining Lieutenant Goldin’s fate and believed to possess precise knowledge of the burial site inside what the IDF has designated the “White-Crowned” tunnel. The arrest and tunnel exposure were the culmination of dozens of classified missions conducted over the past six months with the sole objective of locating and repatriating Goldin’s remains for proper burial in Israel.

The revelation coincides with renewed violence in southern Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed five Palestinians, including an infant girl, and wounded 18 others in Khan Younis, just hours after both sides traded accusations of violating a fragile six-week ceasefire. The ongoing war, ignited by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, has now claimed over 69,000 Palestinian lives according to Gaza health authorities.

Also Read: Gaza Ceasefire in Jeopardy After Israeli Airstrikes Kill 27