Seven Palestinian militants killed as Israel blows up tunnel from Gaza

Israel’s military said Monday that it destroyed an attack tunnel that led into its territory from the Gaza Strip, killing at least seven Palestinian militants, including a senior commander of the Islamic Jihad group and two members of Hamas.

The tunnel crossed from the area of Khan Younis in Gaza and was still under construction, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israeli military.

Islamic Jihad, the second-largest armed faction in Gaza after Hamas, said five of its members were killed, including the commander of its military wing in central Gaza. The group described the destruction of the tunnel as a “dangerous escalation” and said it reserved the right to respond to the “terrorist aggression.”

Hamas said two of its militants were killed during a rescue mission after the tunnel was targeted.

Israel has been working on new technology to detect and destroy tunnels since its 2014 war with Hamas, when the group used underground warrens to launch attacks and defend themselves from airstrikes. A total of 67 Israeli soldiers and six Israeli civilians were killed in the conflict, while 2,251 Palestinians died, according to the United Nations.

Read the whole story from The Washington Post.

Featured image courtesy of Israeli Defense Forces