IDF says it sealed over 4 miles of Hamas tunnels in north Gaza’s Beit Hanoun with concrete

Seven kilometers (4.3 miles) worth of Hamas tunnels in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun were sealed with concrete, the military says.

The IDF says the engineering effort took place over the past four weeks, amid an offensive against Hamas in the town.

Over 20,000 cubic meters of concrete were pumped into the Hamas tunnel network in Beit Hanoun, using a “dedicated system” that included a 4.5-kilometer-long pipeline running from the border fence near the community of Netiv Haasara to the “heart” of the underground passages, the IDF says.

“The operation was made possible thanks to precise engineering planning, combining advanced technological capabilities and innovative methods used for the first time, which led to the complete sealing of the tunnel,” the military says in a statement.

Simultaneously, the IDF says another 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) of tunnels in Beit Hanoun were blown up by combat engineers using standard demolition methods.

“The two combined efforts led to a significant blow to the Beit Hanoun Battalion and led to its operational defeat,” the army adds.

Sealing tunnels with concrete can be a cheaper and less risky alternative to blowing them up, although it takes longer to carry out.

A Hamas tunnel network in Beit Hanoun is sealed with concrete, in a video issued by the IDF on August 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)