The Israel Defense Forces announced the destruction of a multi-kilometer Hamas tunnel network running deep beneath Beit Hanoun, a northern Gaza city long used by the terror organization as a staging ground for attacks. The tunnel, dug roughly 20 meters underground and extending into areas inside the Israeli-controlled yellow line, was identified as a key component of Hamas’s operational infrastructure in the region.

IDF footage released with the announcement shows soldiers navigating narrow passageways reinforced to support sustained militant activity. The military says this network was not merely a smuggling or hiding route—it was part of a broader attack system designed to move fighters, store weapons, and execute ambushes against Israeli forces.

According to the IDF, the tunnel was directly connected to a deadly Hamas ambush in January 2024 that killed three soldiers from the Shimshon Battalion. The attack highlighted the strategic threat posed by subterranean infrastructure and accelerated intelligence-gathering efforts in the Beit Hanoun sector.

The tunnel was destroyed on November 15, 2025, as part of an ongoing months-long offensive that began in July to uproot Hamas’s northern command presence. Israeli forces have since uncovered dozens of shafts, command sites, and weapons caches as they work to dismantle the terror group’s underground network—considered one of the most extensive anywhere in the world.

Military officials underscored that eliminating tunnels inside or near the yellow line is essential to restoring security for Israeli communities in the south. The destruction of this particular route removes a major operational advantage Hamas relied on for years and sends a clear message that Israel will continue targeting the group’s hidden infrastructure until it is fully neutralized.

The IDF says operations in Beit Hanoun will continue as troops press deeper into areas long dominated by Hamas, reaffirming Israel’s commitment to preventing another ambush like the one that took the lives of the three Shimshon soldiers.