Israeli soldiers discovered a tunnel shaft underneath a baby's crib, the Israel Defense Forces said describing the find as "a strategic shaft, with stairs built into it". A video released by the Israeli military showed a white crib next to a hole in the floor with descending spiral steps.
"Hamas-ISIS uses children's rooms, uses baby's cots, to hide what is used for terror, for murder and slaughter," an officer said.
Forces made the discovery under a baby's cot in the basement of a building in Jabalia, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said, posting footage of the alleged discovery.
The tunnel shaft "included built-in stairs and was destroyed by the brigade's engineering forces", he added.
The forces also claimed that they had uncovered an unusually large concrete and iron-girded tunnel which was designed to carry carloads of Hamas fighters from Gaza right up to the border. Israel has said that razing or disabling hundreds of kilometres of underground passages and bunkers is among the aims of its offensive which was launched after Hamas attacked its southern towns on October 7.
{{/usCountry}}The forces also claimed that they had uncovered an unusually large concrete and iron-girded tunnel which was designed to carry carloads of Hamas fighters from Gaza right up to the border. Israel has said that razing or disabling hundreds of kilometres of underground passages and bunkers is among the aims of its offensive which was launched after Hamas attacked its southern towns on October 7.
{{/usCountry}}Israel said that the large tunnel was just 100 metres south of the checkpoint, concealed in a sand dune. The tunnel ran down diagonally to a depth of 50 metres, where it expanded to a relatively capacious 3 metres (10 feet) in height and width.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari put the full length of the tunnel at 4 km which is enough to reach into northern Gaza City.
It was "the biggest tunnel we found in Gaza ... meant to target the (Erez) crossing," he said, adding, “Millions of dollars were invested in this tunnel. It took years to build this tunnel ... Vehicles could drive through.”