IDF says it demolished a kilometer-long tunnel in northern Gaza

The IDF says it demolished a kilometer-long tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip amid ongoing operations in the area.

Troops of the 252nd Division have been operating in the Strip’s far north and in the Netzarim Corridor area, which the military says is aimed at expanding Israel’s buffer zone with Gaza.

Amid the division’s operations in north and central Gaza, the IDF says troops have killed over 50 terror operatives.

In the Beit Lahiya area, a Hamas tunnel which was at least a kilometer long was destroyed by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, the military says.

In a separate operation, the troops found a rocket manufacturing site and several launchers, the IDF added.

Since resuming operations in the Gaza Strip on March 18, the IDF has said it is targeting senior Hamas political officials and mid-level military commanders, along with the terror group’s infrastructure, including weapon depots and rocket launchers. Members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups have also been targeted.

The IDF has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and accuses Hamas of embedding itself in civilian infrastructure.