Inside the Hamas tunnel system

 NY Post:

Hamas’ underground tunnels are at least 350 miles long and have turned Gaza ‘into a fortress’: officials

Hamas’ sinister network of tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip may be over 350 miles long – or hundreds of miles more than initial estimates, sources said this week.

The tunnels may run for anywhere between 350 to 450 miles, and boast a staggering 5,700 entrance shafts, senior Israeli officials told The New York Times.

The new estimates – which could not be confirmed – are over 100 miles longer than the original numbers, which placed the tunnel network at around 250 miles long, the outlet noted.

The tunnels’ vastness is “extraordinary” given that Gaza’s longest point only stretches about 25 miles, the Times said.

“Hamas has used the time and resources over the last 15 years to turn Gaza into a fortress,” Aaron Greenstone, a former C.I.A. officer who has worked extensively in the Middle East, told the outlet.

There about 100 miles of the tunnels are located underneath Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where Israeli troops are currently focusing their most intensive efforts as they scour the area for Hamas’ military leader, Yahya Sinwar, the anonymous officials explained.

Hamas budgeted $1 million for tunnel doors and underground workshops in Khan Younis alone, one 2022 document showed.
...

There are videos and pictures of inside the tunnel system at the link above.  I suspect Israel will destroy the tunnel system in the coming days.  It is not clear whether the Israelis plan to explore the entire system.  While the system is somewhat impressive it was not effective in defeating an Israeli clearing operation within Gaza.

See also:

Israel-Hamas war: Israel destroys secret Hamas rocket hub

Israeli troops have destroyed a massive underground weapons centre used by Hamas to manufacture and distribute rockets.

The 36th division uncovered dozens of tunnels divided into workshops to build missiles beneath Salah a-Din road in central Gaza, according to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

Footage released by the Israeli military shows dozens of missiles mounted on workbenches and lined up along the walls of a tunnel, surrounded by what appears to be manufacturing equipment and trolleys.
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