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I65A(/ Israel¶s military destroyed a tunnel originat ing from Ga]a that penetrated tens of meters inside Israeli territory, the Israeli 'efense )orce announced yesterday. This is the fifth tunnel de stroyed in the past five months, the I') said.
“This specific tunnel was a complicated and high quality one, in the sense that it was a network of tunnels penetrat ing Israel from the northern part of the Ga]a 6trip,” I') spokesperson -onathan &on ricus told reporters.
The destruction of the tunnel network comes amid a wave of 3alestinian protests along the border fence between Ga]a and Israel, which began at the end of 0arch.
In what has been called µThe 0arch of 5eturn¶, 3alestin ian protesters have attempted to cross the border fence into Israel to return to what they say are their lands. The Israeli military and officials have said they will not allow any breach of the border fence. 1early , 3alestinian pro testers were inMured in Ga]a on )riday, largely from live ammunition and tear gasfired by Israeli soldiers.
The I') described it as an “offensive Hamas terror tun nel” that served as a main artery, with several other con nected tunnels.
&onricus said it had been under construction for a few years and that the I') had been monitoring it for a long time through “new intelli gence and operational tools that we have in place in the Ga]a 6trip.”
The decision to destroy the tunnel came after it penetrated Israeli territory, he said.
The army said the tunnel originated several kilometers inside Ga]a, from the -abalia neighborhood, and was head ing toward the general vicin ity of the Israeli community of 1ahal 2].
1o e[plosives were used to destroy the tunnel, but rather it was filled with an unspeci fied material that “rendered it useless for a long period of time,” &onricus said. According to &onricus, the main tunnel as well as the smaller connecting tunnels were destroyed.
Israel¶s 'efense 0inister Avigdor /iberman welcomed the news.
“:e destroyed an additional terror tunnel the deepest and longest that has been uncov ered up µtil now,” /iberman wrote on his twitter account. “The tunnel, in which millions of dollars have been invested, money which instead of being invested to lighten the desper ate situation of the people, has sunk into the sand,” he added.
(CNN)