An underground tunnel stretching towards Israel from the northern Gaza Strip and hidden by a Palestinian greenhouse was discovered by the IDF on Tuesday, security forces reported on Wednesday.
An officer kneels next to the weapons smuggling tunnel discovered by the IDF on the Egyptian border on October 17, 2006.
Photo: IDF
According to the report, Palestinian terror organizations hoped to fill the tunnel with bombs, which would then be detonated under an unspecified Israeli civilian or military target. The army is also checking into the possibility that gunmen intended to use the tunnel to infiltrate into Israel.
With the help of intelligence passed onto the IDF, security forces found the tunnel hidden underneath a greenhouse which was being used to grow tomatoes. Although the tunnel was not yet finished, it had succeeded in coming to within 700 meters of the security barrier. IDF troops discovered in the tunnel a generator which was thought to have assisted their excavation efforts.
The security establishment noted that the tunnel is likely to be one of many which have been dug, or are being dug from Gaza into Israel.
"It's not unreasonable to think that more of these kinds of tunnels exist, and that terrorists are just waiting for the day when they receive the order to use them," one IDF official said.
IDF engineers destroyed the tunnel late Wednesday evening.
