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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recently unveiled a video revealing what they call one of Hamas’s most intricate underground networks beneath Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. This discovery shines a light on the sophisticated infrastructure that Hamas has developed over time.
As explained by the IDF, this extensive “root tunnel” stretches approximately seven kilometers, buried about 25 meters below the surface. It reportedly features around 80 rooms and serves multiple purposes, including command operations, weapons storage, and providing shelter for Hamas operatives.
On November 20, the IDF shared the video on social media platform X, offering a glimpse into the reinforced concrete corridors and sizable chambers that illustrate the complexity and vastness of this subterranean network.
According to the Israeli military, this tunnel system originated beneath a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) compound and extended under various civilian sites, raising concerns about the strategic placement of such structures.
The social media post by the IDF highlighted the significance of the discovery, stating, “IDF troops uncovered one of Gaza’s largest and most complex underground routes, over 7 km long, ~25 meters deep, with ~80 hideouts, where abducted IDF officer Lt. Hadar Goldin was held.” This revelation underscores the ongoing tensions and the lengths to which Hamas has gone to fortify its positions underground.
Israeli analysts say the demolition of this tunnel marks a strategic blow to Hamas and “paves the path to its defeat.”
“The destruction of this tunnel as well as many others like it or similar… as well as other terror facilities pushes Hamas to the edge,” said Professor Kobi Michael, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and the Misgav Institute.
The IDF uncovered one of Gaza’s largest underground Hamas infrastructures, stretching 25 meters deep beneath civilian sites, including mosques and schools in Rafah.
“It is one of the longest and [most] complicated tunnels that have been discovered, but it is not the only one,” he told Fox News Digital.
Michael explained that Hamas’ root tunnels form the backbone of its underground warfare system.
“This is an example of a root tunnel, a strategic one that feeds many tactic tunnels and is used for strategic purposes [such] as command and control, weapon storage, manufacturing platforms of weapon[s] and strategic logistics,” he said.
Smoke rises from Gaza City seen from Deir al-Balah, following intense Israeli military attacks on northern Gaza, on Oct. 5, 2025. (Khames Alrefi/Getty Images)
“Such a tunnel is usually manned by hundreds of militants and commanders.”
The IDF believes this particular tunnel network may have been connected to the area where Lt. Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier abducted during the 2014 Gaza war, was held captive. Hamas returned Goldin’s remains earlier this month – after more than a decade.
The tunnel’s exposure sheds new light on the extent of its underground operations.
Israeli forces destroyed a major Hamas tunnel system in Rafah connected to the area where Lt. Hadar Goldin was held, marking a strategic blow to the militant group’s capabilities.
“I have no idea about the cost but if you take into consideration the amount of the building materials, labor and facilities and its length, it is a matter of millions of INS,” he claimed. “Hamas chose routes under sensitive civilian and humanitarian facilities in order to prevent the IDF from attacking the tunnel.”
As Israel continues operations in Gaza, the destruction of Hamas’s tunnel networks remains central to its strategy to dismantle the group’s military capabilities and prevent future attacks.
In 2014, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to destroy the tunnels, which Hamas militants used to infiltrate Israeli territory, “with or without a ceasefire.”
According to a 2023 investigation by Reuters, Hamas had said it had been using the tunnels to hide hostages seized in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Israel’s military said its ground forces had uncovered around 1,500 Hamas tunnels and shafts throughout the Gaza Strip, per the report.