IDF troops have been working to locate and destroy underground tunnel routes in the area of the Philadelphi Corridor since taking control of the area in, and so far, the troops have located and destroyed dozens of routes.
The Philadelphi Corridor is considered a strategically significant zone of control for the IDF, and Israeli troops moved quickly to secure the corridor after entering Rafah.
At the beginning of last week, in one of the operations to locate underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi area, a three-meter-high (11 feet) tunnel was uncovered on the Philadelphi Corridor. Pictures released by the IDF showed the tunnel was large enough to drive trucks and heavy vehicles through.
The tunnel is being investigated by Yahalom combat engineers before being demolished, the military said.
Dozens of tunnels have been found along the Philadelphi Corridor since its capture, including at least 25 that crossed into Egyptian territory.
Troops are currently continuing the search for other underground tunnel routes, including other large-scale routes, in order to neutralize them and prevent their future use.
The IDF said it "will thoroughly destroy all the underground infrastructure on the Philadelphi Corridor and will act with determination to prevent their formation in the future."
Control over the Philadelphi Corridor is reportedly one of the areas of dispute in the hostage negotiations, with Israel refusing to completely abandon the area due to the significant tunnel system used for smuggling weapons and supplies from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.
On Monday morning, speaking to Reshet Bet radio, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano said the army still has a lot of work to clean up the corridor.
Egypt had previously warned Israel against taking control of the area, saying it would "lead to a serious threat to Egyptian-Israeli relations."
Israeli security analysts believe that Egypt did not want Israel to discover the extent of the tunnel system and smuggling activity. The Egyptian government had denied any knowledge of smuggling activity happening under the Rafah border.
"With each week that passes since Israeli forces belatedly stormed Rafah, more is becoming known about the extent to which Hamas smuggling in what it needed from Egyptian territory," said Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz. "Cairo has either denied its role in permitting these tunnels or played dumb. But how could any self-respecting government be unaware of a tunnel you could literally drive a truck through?"
The sheer size of the discovered tunnels makes such statements appear to be disingenuous.
Israeli troops have also discovered significant intelligence material in some of the tunnels.
Last week, based on IDF and Shin Bet intelligence, an IAF aircraft struck and eliminated the Hamas terrorist Ismail Nofal in the area of Nuseirat. Ismail Nofal was reportedly the son of Ayman Nofal, the former commander of Hamas' Central Gaza Brigade, whom Israel killed in October. He was responsible for rocket launches toward Israeli territory during the war and participated in the Oct. 7th Massacre.
On Saturday night, the IAF struck another terror operative conducting activities in Deir al-Balah. During the strike, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weaponry in the area.
Meanwhile, IDF troops continue to operate in central Gaza as well. On Sunday, for the first time in months, a rocket barrage was launched from the southern Gaza Strip towards Ashdod, triggering air raid sirens.
Several rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome, with others landing in open areas.
Following the rocket barrage, and other recent terror activity, the IDF Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, published a call for Palestinians in some neighborhoods of Khan Younis to evacuate and head toward a humanitarian zone ahead of increased IDF activity in those neighborhoods.
The announcement said the IDF would "forcefully operate" against Hamas in those areas following the rocket attacks.
Republished with permission from All Israel News