In a special operation led by Southern Command—with Yahalom combat engineers and Shayetet 13 naval commandos—IDF forces uncovered in southern Rafah the underground tunnel route where abducted soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin was held in recent years.
The tunnel system is described as one of the largest and most complex ever exposed in the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, the tunnel stretches more than 7 kilometers and reaches a depth of approximately 25 meters. It runs beneath a densely populated residential area near the Philadelphi Corridor and continues through sensitive civilian zones, including a UNRWA compound, mosques, clinics, kindergartens, and schools.
Inside the tunnel network, troops found around 80 rooms, among them command centers used by senior Hamas terror officials for storing weapons, long-term habitation, and planning attacks against Israeli forces. One of the senior figures identified as operating in the tunnel was the Rafah Brigade commander, terrorist Muhammad Shabana.