Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli foreign ministry: The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port, and the passengers are expected to be deported promptly.
Sumud Flotilla: Addameer vessel attacked by an Israeli military helicopter with 93 journalists, doctors and activists on board
Freedom Flotilla Coalition: The Addameer Vessel was seized by the Israeli Navy
Israeli ministry of foreign affairs says ships and passengers of the Freedom Flotilla will be transferred to an Israeli port and deported immediately
Freedom Flotilla Coalition: 3 ships attacked and illegally intercepted by Israeli occupation.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's motorcade comes under fire in Ecuador
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Israeli quadcopter drops two shells on cafe in Houla town in South Lebanon
Informed source to Al Mayadeen: SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi demands that al-Sharaa approve the establishment of an autonomous region similar to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Israeli media: Three drones launched from Yemen toward Eilat in span of 20 minutes.
Qatari Foreign Ministry: "Israel" should have already ceased fire under Trump plan for Gaza

'Too late; mission accomplished': Hamas says 'Israel' tunnel find vain

  • By Hadi Hoteit
  • Source: Al Mayadeen
  • 18 Dec 2023 22:14
  • 12 Shares
6 Min Read

The Palestinian Resistance unveils that the Israeli occupation forces' claims about a "military achievement" when it came to their discovery of a Hamas tunnel in the south are vain.

  • x
  • Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant at a Hamas tunnel in the northeastern Gaza Strip in a video published by the Palestinian Resistance's media wing on December 18, 2023 (Screengrab)
    Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant at a Hamas tunnel in the northeastern Gaza Strip in a video published by the Palestinian Resistance's media wing on December 18, 2023 (Screengrab)

The military wing of the Hamas Resistance movement, al-Qassam Brigades, published Monday a video in response to a "discovery" made by the Israeli occupation forces, which comprised of the latter finding a tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas explained that the tunnel was dug up solely for the purpose of carrying out Operation al-Aqas Flood, telling the Israeli occupation forces that they were too little too late: "You arrive late... mission had already been completed," the video said in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.

The IOF had on Sunday published footage showing Israeli security minister Yoav Gallant touring the tunnel and taking pictures at its entry in an apparent bid to celebrate a "military accomplishment" made by the Israeli occupation forces more than 70 days into the aggression on Gaza and some 50 days of their invasion of the blockaded strip.

The Israeli occupation has set the discovery of the Resistance's tunnel network as one of the key objectives of the aggression on Gaza.

كتائب القسام تنشر مقطع فيديو عبر حسابها الرسمي بعنوان:

"وصلتم متأخرين.. المهمة أُنجزت.."#طوفان_الأقصى #غزة#فلسطين_المحتلة pic.twitter.com/Jj4UJGFsKB

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 18, 2023

The details regarding the tunnel and its location show that the "military achievement" made by "Israel" is devoid of any real value. The Israeli occupation's own reports indicate that the entrance to the tunnel is less than 400 meters away from the separation wall on the northeastern borders of the Gaza Strip.

The tunnel is right off the "Erez" military site in an area that was cordoned off by the IOF in the early days of the aggression and even before it announced its ground invasion of Gaza.

The Israeli occupation needing 70 days of an all-out war to discover one massive tunnel in an open area that it has under its control reflects the hardship of locating and destroying the Resistance's tunnels in Gaza, especially in urban areas, wherein the Palestinian fighters are using the tunnel network to inflict major losses upon the occupation's armored vehicles amid the fierce confrontations that take place there.

Tunnel not for defensive purposes

Related News

Al-Quds Brigades vow continued fight, demands Gaza truce deal

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Looking at the size and structure of the tunnel, it appears to be a tunnel designed for offensive operations, as confirmed by the video released by Hamas' media, which underlined that it is linked to the transport of forces tasked with carrying out Operation al-Aqsa Flood and goes to show that the mission, as the al-Qassam Brigades said, was indeed accomplished.

These long tunnels, which stretch for kilometers, were used to transport forces from one area to another, along with their heavy and light equipment, secretly and covertly underground. This is aimed at countering the occupier's ability to remotely detect them, thus maintaining the forces' capability to surprise the enemy and catch its forces off-guard. This was successfully achieved on October 7th.

This type of tunnel is not designated for defensive purposes or infiltrations behind enemy lines. Its size and type make it unsuitable for defensive operations that require tunnels accommodating only a few resistance fighters, equipped for special combat operations (commandos), as demonstrated in the flashpoints of Resistance operations such as Juhr al-Dik and Beit Hanoun, among others.

Defensive tunnels are usually branched and separated, converging at specific points to prevent the collapse of all tunnels in case one is discovered. Additionally, these tunnels typically include openings close to the surface for reconnaissance and infiltration purposes.

In contrast, according to the occupier's admission, this tunnel extends to a depth of 50 meters underground and in length spans a distance of 4 kilometers, reaching what the occupation suspects to be an area within or near the city of Gaza.

Advanced tunnels

Gallant and his senior officers seemed stunned upon entering the tunnel, and this shock was evident, as the tunnel was armored with steel and reinforced with cement and steel columns, which highlights the al-Qassam's professional work and the extensive planning they did in preparation. Moreover, it opens the door for the Israeli occupation forces to anticipate the worst in terms of the Resistance's tunnels' capabilities to withstand its extensive bombing campaigns during the aggression. 

Inside the tunnel, drainage channels and sewage disposal facilities were visible, indicating the ability of these tunnels to withstand the threat of floods. This undermines the idea of "flooding them" with water, which is one idea propped up by the Israeli occupation to counter the threat of the tunnels, with Israeli media reporting on the IOF wanting to use this strategy more than once.

The depth of the tunnel also reveals the resistance's ability to fortify underground facilities and make it almost impossible for any bunker-buster-type weapons to have any effect. This makes for very bad news for the occupation forces, as their bunker-buster bombs, mostly of US origin, are capable of creating a maximum depth of some 20-30 meters, and thus they would be obsolete.

Additionally, this tunnel highlights the advanced security capabilities in the resistance's possession, all of which it has kept under the covers for years, away from the sights of the enemy and its security apparatus and intelligence agencies that have the Gaza Strip surrounded, all with dozens and maybe even hundreds of Resistance fighters participating in the building of the tunnels.

The revelation of this tunnel seems to unveil one of the secrets behind the resistance succeeding on October 7 in rapidly transporting hundreds of resistance fighters from inside Gaza to the settlements of the Gaza envelope, along with their vehicles equipped with machine guns and large quantities of weapons.

The enemy failed to act against them, which highlights the al-Qassam Brigades' superior preparations. It also refutes the narrative pushed by the Israeli occupation as it attempts to portray the Resistance's Operation al-Aqsa Flood as a simple one and attributing the infiltration solely to the lackluster capabilities and readiness of its forces.

  • Occupied Palestine
  • Palestine
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Hamas
  • Al-Qassam Brigades
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS