[An Nahar] Israel's military said it destroyed a Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,-built tunnel extending into its territory from the Gazoo Strip on Thursday that was intended for attacks.Military front man Jonathan Conricus said it was the 15th such tunnel discovered and destroyed by Israel in the past year.
There were no indications of casualties linked to the destruction of the tunnel around one kilometer in length (less than a mile) and which originated from the Khan Yunis area of southern Gazoo.
It extended around 200 meters (650 feet) into Israeli territory, Conricus said, adding Israel's army had been monitoring its construction for several months.
He declined to elaborate on how the tunnel was destroyed, but said "combat engineering means" were used.
Conricus called it a "complex tunnel system with various connections and branches."
Israel has in recent months employed technology to detect and destroy tunnels without bombing them, including by filling them with material to make them unusable.
Israel is also building an underground wall around the blockaded Gazoo Strip to stop tunnel digging. Work on the massive project is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, Conricus said.
Conricus alleged Hamas used new methods in building the tunnel destroyed Thursday that seemed intended to evade Israel's detection methods.
He declined however to provide specifics, but noted it was equipped with electricity and communication hardware.
The destruction of the tunnel comes amid months of protests and festivities along the Gazoo border that have raised fears of a fourth war since 2008 between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Paleostinian enclave.