Army says it blew up Rafah tunnel used by Hamas in deadly May 3 attack

The military says it demolished a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip used by Hamas operatives in an attack that killed two soldiers earlier this month.

In the attack on May 3, Hamas operatives set off a bomb in a tunnel shaft in Rafah, killing Cpt. Noam Ravid and and Staff Sgt. Yaly Seror, who served in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.

After setting off the explosion, the operatives fled through the tunnel, which was some 200 meters long, the army says. Troops mapped out the tunnel in recent days and demolished it.

The IDF says that during the demolition of the tunnel, troops killed another cell of Hamas operatives which was hiding inside the underground passage.

Video released by the IDF on May 19, 2025, showing the demolition of a Hamas tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)