(Communicated by the IDF Spokesman)

A tunnel originating from the Gaza Strip and leading towards Israel was uncovered yesterday afternoon by IDF forces. Terror organizations had intended to use the tunnel in order to infiltrate Israel and carry out terror attacks within the country.

During engineering works conducted in the north of the Gaza Strip, IDF forces revealed the tunnel shaft near the Erez security crossing. The shaft connected to the tunnel path leading to a garbage dump site, behind which the terrorists had intended to discretely enter the tunnel and infiltrate Israel. The tunnel is several meters in depth and approximately 20 meters in length. IDF forces are now operating to detonate the tunnel in a controlled manner and render it useless.

This is the first tunnel to be uncovered since IDF forces completed their withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Maj. Gen. Yoav Gallant, Head of the Southern Command, praised the forces and noted that in revealing the tunnel they had prevented a terror attack inside Israel.