Israel vows to demolish remaining Hamas tunnels after hostages are released

2025-10-12 13:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel will destroy all remaining underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip used by Hamas fighters, despite reaching a ceasefire with the group, designated a terrorist group by the US and other countries, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.

"Israel's big challenge after the hostage return phase will be the destruction of all Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza," Katz wrote on the social platform X.

He said the operation would be carried out directly by the Israeli military, as well as "through the international mechanism that will be established under the direction and supervision of the United States."

Katz said he had ordered troops to "prepare to carry out the mission," adding that Israel's goal remains the demilitarization of Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.

After the initial troop withdrawal, Israeli forces reportedly still control more than half of the Gaza Strip. Any further withdrawal depends on Hamas' willingness to hand over its weapons.

During the two-year war in Gaza, the Israeli military has repeatedly reported destroying Hamas tunnels, yet the extent of the remaining underground network remains unclear.

Before the Israeli offensive, officials said the tunnels stretched for several hundred kilometers, including under urban areas.

The ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on October 10, two days after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a long-awaited agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, as part of his plan to end the two-year war in the Palestinian enclave.

The Gaza war began when Hamas-led militants crossed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251 others.

Israel's war of revenge has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not separate the number of civilians from that of combatants. The offensive has displaced most of Gaza's 2 million residents, caused massive destruction and widespread hunger./ Rel