08:41 GMT +319 June 2019

An Israeli army tank fires towards the Gaza Strip (File)

Israeli Troops Destroy Hamas Underwater Access Tunnel – Reports

© AP Photo / Baz Ratner

20:23 10.06.2018Get short URL

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Israeli forces reportedly destroyed an underground tunnel, which had allowed Hamas to covertly deploy its naval commandos.

A tunnel in the Gaza Strip, which had allegedly been used by Hamas to send militants on covert assignments, was obliterated by the Israeli military, according to the IDF press service.

"They tried to make it possible to covertly move from land to sea in order to perpetrate attacks inside Israel. We have known about this tunnel for a few months and decided that this was the right time for us to destroy it," a senior Israel Air Force officer told Haaretz.

The tunnel reportedly extended into the sea and allowed Palestinian militants wearing scuba gear to move in and out of the Gaza Strip while avoiding detection by Israeli forces.

During IDF strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, June 3rd, 2018, the IDF attacked a military post belonging to Hamas’ special naval forces in the northern Gaza Strip. During this strike, an offensive terror tunnel, which leads to the sea, was demolished pic.twitter.com/WKaE6btUXa
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) 10 июня 2018 г.

This was a unique terror tunnel in that it allowed Hamas terrorists with underwater access to stage attacks against the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/96qdKff8at
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) 10 июня 2018 г.

The route of this tunnel was identified as part of the ongoing campaign against the Hamas naval forces, which the IDF has conducted over the past year pic.twitter.com/1TlvqgbM2T
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) 10 июня 2018 г.

The newspaper points out, however, that while the IDF believes that Hamas used the tunnel for training purposes, “it is not known to have been used to launch attacks.”

READ MORE: IDF Claims Explosive Palestinian Balloon Airstrike Prevented

Earlier, the IDF fired warning shots at a group of Palestinians who were allegedly trying to launch balloons fitted with explosive devices over the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Related:: Palestinians Protest on Gaza Border on 'Al-Quds Day' as IDF Deploys Iron Dome

: Israel Spreads Leaflets in Gaza Strip Telling People to Steer Clear of Border

: Israel's Defense Minister Vows Retaliation for Incendiary Kites From Gaza

Tags:

destruction, tunnel, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas, Gaza Strip, Israel

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