View inside the terror tunnel destroyed by the IDF Jan. 14, 2018 (IDF spokesperson)
A strike by the Israeli Air Force on Saturday night destroyed a 180 meter long terror tunnel below the Gaza Strip, the IDF spokesperson confirmed on Sunday morning.
Israel denied claims the tunnel was used for smuggling of goods, asserting it was intended by Hamas to bring terrorists and weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip for a possible future combined attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing from the Egyptian side.
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The target struck was a tunnel that passed below the Kerem Shalom crossing . The tunnel also passed beneath several strategic targets, such as a gas pipe. It was completely destroyed by the strike.
On Saturday night the IDF announced it would be closing the Kerem Shalom crossing after an assessment of the current security situation, but did not provide further details.
"The terrorist organization Hamas is responsible for everything happening in and out of the Gaza Strip," an IDF statement said.
The tunnel destroyed early Saturday morning is believed to have been a Hamas tunnel which stretched for almost a kilometer running under the Kerem Shalom crossing near the gas pipeline and continued into Egyptian territory. The destruction of the tunnel was carried out by the Southern Command, in the area of the Kerem Shalom crossing area, inside Israeli territory.
The army stated that the tunnel had been identified and destroyed by a combination of advanced technology, intelligence and operational capability. It had been studied and investigated until it was neutralized early Sunday morning.
“The thwarting of the terrorist tunnel, the third in Israeli territory in recent weeks, is more proof of the IDF's advanced operational, intelligence and technological capabilities,” read a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
“This is a blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty, endangering the citizens of Israel and sabotaging the humanitarian efforts that Israel is making for the citizens of Gaza,” read a statement by the IDF.
According to the military, the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing was a necessary security measure for those in the crossing area and while the consequences of the closure would be felt in the Strip, “the Hamas terror organization repeatedly chooses to harm the welfare of Gaza residents.”
The military said that it does not intend to bring about an escalation of the situation, but will continue to act against any violation of Israeli sovereignty.
“The IDF will continue to use all the measures at its disposal, above and below ground, to thwart attempts to harm the residents of the State of Israel and to maintain the relative quiet in the area achieved after Operation Protective Edge.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the IDF strikes near Gaza on Saturday and said that “we are retaliating against attacks on Israel by very systematically attacking the [terror] infrastructure directed at us.”
Netanyahu added that “Hamas must realize we will not allow a continuation of these attacks and [we] will respond with greater force.”
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman also commented on the strike: "We performed a professional and precise [military] action. The destruction of the terror tunnel network is an essential component of our systematic policy to harm Hamas's strategic capabilities. Our message to the Gazan leadership and residents of the strip is clear: invest in the sanctity of life and not in death tunnels."
IDF forces are believed to have destroyed four terror tunnels since late October, targeting one in October, one in December, and two in January.
In early January Israel struck what is referred to as “central terror infrastructure” in the southern Gaza Strip following three mortar shells which were fired towards Israel. While Israel holds Hamas responsible for everything that occurs in the Strip, the statement did not mention the group ruling the enclave.
Tamar Ben Ozer and Avi Gold contributed to this report.