Racing the Clock in Gaza: The IDF’s Massive Mission to Erase Decades of Terror Tunnels

The Israeli military is currently engaged in a massive engineering effort to close a decades long gap in its understanding and destruction of the vast subterranean networks built by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Military officials have recently admitted that before the current war, there was a profound intelligence failure regarding the complexity and integration of these tunnels into the terrorists’ daily lives and combat doctrines. Today, the IDF is working at an unprecedented pace to fortify defensive lines, demolish strategic buildings, and systematically locate and destroy the underground infrastructure that defines the Gaza battlefield.

A security official noted this week that the sheer volume of engineering equipment currently deployed across the Gaza Strip reflects the "enormous" scale of the intelligence gap that existed before October 7. According to the official, the Military Intelligence Directorate did not fully grasp how Hamas utilized various types of tunnels across different regions of the strip, both as a base for their combat theory and as a way of life. The current mission is described as a desperate attempt to catch up and dismantle a massive project that was constructed over several decades. An engineering officer involved in the search missions described a sense of extreme urgency on the ground, stating that every hour is precious because of the fear that diplomatic processes could halt operations at any moment.

The military’s activity is focused on several layers, including the reinforcement of outposts in the buffer zone and the improvement of defenses along the border and the "Yellow Line." In some areas, such as Khan Yunis and Rafah, this line extends up to 11 kilometers deep into the Gaza Strip. A senior military source explained that one of the primary goals is "organizing the space" by creating a powerful obstacle line in front of the new outposts built in recent months. This includes digging trenches, building ramparts, and clearing terrain to create a secure buffer around the chain of military positions.

In eastern Rafah, specifically the Jnaina neighborhood, the IDF is working to locate and eliminate terrorists who remain trapped underground. Officials estimate that dozens of terrorists are still hiding in these tunnels, and while their exact status is unknown, the ongoing engineering operations are designed to destroy them. The official priority remains clear, first the destruction of the central tunnel cores, and then the organization of the space to allow for better long term defense. The military intends to utilize every moment it remains in control of the front lines to ensure that the underground threat is neutralized before any transition to the next stage of the war.