From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 23, 2026
Army says it demolished kilometer-long Hamas tunnel in Gaza’s Rafah
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A kilometer-long Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah was recently demolished by combat engineers, the military says.
According to the IDF, the tunnel featured several rooms where Hamas operatives would hide out. Inside, the army says troops found several weapons.
The tunnel was found on the Israeli side of the Gaza ceasefire line, in an area of Rafah where dozens of Hamas operatives were holed up underground, during mop-up operations of the 7th Armored Brigade. It was then razed by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.
In addition, the military says the forces demolished one of the tunnel shafts used by Hamas operatives in a deadly attack on troops on October 28, 2025, during which Master Sgt. (res.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum was killed.
The 7th Brigade has now been withdrawn from the Rafah area after three months of operations, and it has been replaced by other forces.
A Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah is demolished in a video published by the military on February 23, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
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