IDF: Half of Hamas Tunnels Past Yellow Line Still Functional

Israeli security officials assess that only around 50 percent of the terror tunnels built by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the area between the Gaza border fence and the so-called “yellow line” have been located and destroyed so far, raising concerns about the scale of the remaining underground threat.

According to senior defense sources, the figure refers to tunnels running in the zone under firm Israeli military control, meaning that a significant portion of the subterranean infrastructure remains intact despite months of intensive operations.

In response, Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to sharply increase the pace and scope of tunnel detection and destruction along the border area. The directive includes deploying additional heavy engineering equipment and expanding around-the-clock operations by combat engineering units.

In closed discussions with military officials, Katz reportedly spoke in uncompromising terms, stressing that Israel’s objective is the complete destruction of all underground terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, not partial or symbolic achievements. “The goal is to eliminate every tunnel,” he said, according to officials briefed on the meetings.

The assessment has also drawn attention from Israel’s allies. Officers from United States Central Command who were exposed to Israeli intelligence on the tunnel network were described as stunned by both its scale and sophistication. One senior American officer reportedly said he would “never forget” the sheer number of tunnels uncovered and the magnitude of the threat they posed to Israel.

Over the past two weeks, Southern Command, led by Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, has intensified engineering activity in northern Gaza. This includes conducting dozens of simultaneous drilling operations in limited geographic areas, combined with expanded intelligence efforts, interrogations, and ground searches aimed at identifying tunnel shafts and mapping the network down to its furthest reaches.

The IDF has also begun employing a wider range of tunnel-neutralization methods. In addition to conventional explosives, engineering units are increasingly using specialized hardening materials that render tunnels permanently unusable. Military engineers say the new technique shortens timelines, reduces risks to troops, and significantly increases operational efficiency.

Security officials emphasize that the tunnel system uncovered in Gaza is the product of roughly two decades of construction by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and includes networks designed for tactical movement, weapons storage, command and control, and strategic smuggling.

Particularly extensive tunnel “highways” were identified in the Philadelphi Corridor, where arms, ammunition, and explosives were smuggled from Sinai for years. Defense officials said smuggling also occurred in the past near the Rafah crossing. While both major smuggling routes have been cut, officials stress that Israel must ensure they are not reestablished.

“The tunnel threat is not theoretical,”