Israel destroys Hamas tunnel network in Gaza

Israeli forces yesterday knocked out a tunnel in the Gaza Strip dug by Hamas militants to mount cross-border attacks, the military said.

The tunnel had been cut off during the 2014 Gaza war and Hamas had tried to put it back into operation, a military spokesman said.

Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but still maintains tight control of its land and sea borders.

During the 2014 war, Hamas fighters used dozens of tunnels to blindside Israel's superior forces. Since then, Israel has been working on advanced counter-measures including a sensor-equipped underground wall along the 60-km (36-mile) Gaza border, a $1.1 billion project it aims to complete by mid-2019.