Israeli Army Announces Destruction of Tunnel and Dozens of Rockets in Gaza

The Israeli army announced on Wednesday the destruction of a tunnel in southern Gaza, noting the discovery of dozens of rockets inside it, after a day of relative calm in the area following mediation efforts by intermediaries to stabilize a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

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Eila Wawie, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, said: "During a clearing operation in the Yellow Line area, forces discovered an underground passage containing dozens of rockets belonging to organizations operating in the Gaza Strip."

She added via the platform "X": "The passage was destroyed in coordination with engineering units from the Gaza Brigade and the Yehalom unit."

She noted that Israeli military forces continue to maintain presence in the region under the command of the Southern Command, in line with the ceasefire framework, and will work to eliminate any immediate threats.

The Israeli military released a video of the destroyed tunnel, showing rockets of various ranges found inside.

The announcement came amid a period of calm in the Gaza Strip, following a visit by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Niccolò Miledinov, to Israel and a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli media reported that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued orders to reduce attacks on the Gaza Strip after the peace council emphasized the need for Israel to halt combat operations in the area.

However, Israeli reports indicated that Netanyahu remains firm on two issues: first, not withdrawing from the Gaza Strip until reaching the "Yellow Line," which Israel has continuously expanded, before disarming Hamas; and second, maintaining full operational freedom for the Israeli military to address what it describes as "immediate threats" in Gaza.

The Israeli military's announcement of discovering and destroying this large tunnel serves Israel's broader efforts to retain its freedom of action against what it claims are Hamas infrastructure networks, including tunnels, which Israel demands Hamas provide maps of.

The Israeli stance on the ceasefire agreement—refusing full acceptance while accepting only a temporary calm that allows Israel to breach it at any moment—reflects Netanyahu’s strategy of managing U.S. pressure as the agreement’s sponsor, without granting a deal that could weaken his position ahead of the upcoming October elections.