The tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip is wide enough for a large car to pass through, reinforced with concrete and fitted with electrical wiring. And at least one section of the tunnel — which Israel says is the largest it has discovered in Gaza so far — is within walking distance of an Israeli border crossing.
Israel’s military officials, who took a group of reporters, including two journalists from The New York Times, into the tunnel on Friday, say that its size and complexity show the scale of the challenge they face as they try to wipe out Hamas. The group has built a network of tunnels throughout Gaza that allow it to evade and attack Israeli forces, the military says.
The military arranged the tour as Israel comes under increasing pressure to wind down the most intense phase of the war within weeks to try to limit the death toll; already, the Gazan health ministry says, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed.
The Biden administration envisions Israel transitioning from its large-scale ground and air campaign to one that would involve elite forces conducting more precise, intelligence-driven missions to find and kill Hamas leaders and rescue the hostages seized during the group’s attack Israel on Oct. 7, U.S. officials say.
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