The IDF said on Thursday that the reported tunnel unveiled in Kalkilya on Wednesday was actually a shaft, with no real danger of the excavation being used for terrorist activities or an infiltration into Israeli territory.
"Contrary to official and irresponsible statements that emerged on the matter, following an examination of the shafts, the presence of a tunnel route was ruled out. It was also determined that the shafts were not located in proximity to the area of the security barrier," the military stated.
Earlier on Wednesday, the police said that a tunnel at least 25 meters deep, which was still under excavation, was uncovered in the area during an operation with Border Police officers, with four suspects arrested and taken for questioning.
Officers from the Samaria District crime-fighting unit and Border Police discovered the tunnel during a targeted intelligence operation in the West Bank. The officers entered Kalkilya and searched a location identified through intelligence. During the operation, they found the tunnel, which the military later determined to be shafts dug underground to a depth of 12 meters.
During the search, officers seized an M16 rifle, a sniper rifle, ammunition, and magazines. They also found phones, a DVR device, and fertilizer, a substance that police said could be used to prepare explosive devices. Police arrested four suspects found at the site and took them for further questioning.
Police said operations against such infrastructure would continue, with the military also operating in the area and ruling additional shafts for the time being.
Serious security incident endangering Israeli citizens
The reports of a tunnel in an area bordering Israel raised concern among heads of local authorities near the seam line. Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar described the incident as “serious” and said it demonstrated what he viewed as the danger facing residents of the area.
“This is not a theoretical warning, this is a security reality that requires determined action,” Saar said.
Drom Hasharon Regional Council head Oshrat Gani Gonen also warned about the significance of the findings.
“A tunnel near Qalqilya is an incident that cannot simply be ignored,” she said. “This is further evidence that the threat to seam-line communities is becoming increasingly established just across the fence.”
Gani Gonen also referred to the weapons and other threats in the area.
'Meters from our homes': Tunnel, drones, weapons
“We are looking at what is happening meters from our homes: a tunnel, drones, weapons, and terrorist infrastructure. As far as we are concerned, every one of these things is the crossing of a red line.”
She said the events of October 7 required a change in the way such threats are addressed.
“No one can afford anymore to close their eyes to incidents like these, minimize them or settle for saying that the area is under control. The responsibility is to identify the threat before it becomes a disaster.”
The council head added that local authorities in the area had, in her words, been forced for years to fight for funding for security systems in seam-line communities.
“This danger is not theoretical. It is right before our eyes. The seam line is a front, and it must be treated as a front, with forces, equipment, technology, and budgets. This has to happen now, not after the next incident.”