October 9, 2026
Today, Tuesday, the Israeli army announced the destruction of an underground structure measuring 1.5 kilometers east of the “yellow line” in the Gaza Strip, as part of operations aimed at targeting tunnels and infrastructure, which it described as posing a complex intelligence and operational challenge, amid estimates that the Hamas movement will continue to use the underground field as an essential field tool.
The Israeli Walla website reported, in a report by journalist Amir Boukhbout, that the operation was carried out by the forces of the Northern Brigade of the 99th Division, with the participation of the engineering forces of the Southern Command. The report explained that the path, which was called the “Schwarz Path,” was discovered following the expansion of the “yellow line,” a measure that the army confirmed came in response to an operational need aimed at protecting forces and towns, indicating that the existence of this path constituted one of the main considerations that prompted the expansion of operational control in the region.
According to the report, the track was destroyed in stages and across different sections, causing severe damage to the infrastructure itself and the surrounding area. Since the announcement of the ceasefire, the Israeli army has destroyed a large number of tunnels located in the vicinity of the “Yellow Line.”
The army explained that some of these infrastructures were known in advance, but they actually appeared after expanding control over the land, which enabled the forces to reach them and deal with them on the field. In this context, the army acknowledges that monitoring and destroying tunnels represents a very complex intelligence challenge, given that the infrastructure is located in an invisible environment that gives Hamas a high ability to operate in complete secrecy and isolation.
To overcome these obstacles, the Israeli army continues to invest in intelligence and technological means, including carrying out systematic excavations along the line, to reach a higher level of certainty about the presence of any underground structures.
In conclusion, current estimates in the Israeli army leadership indicate that the underground field will continue to play an operational role in Hamas’ activities, and accordingly, the army is working to adapt its detection and protection capabilities on an ongoing basis, at a time when field data confirm that the tunnel file will remain one of the most complex areas of confrontation regardless of the change in the lines of field control.
