Hamas Fighter Buried after New Gaza Tunnel Collapse

The military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Friday buried one of its men killed in the collapse of a Gaza tunnel, the latest in a string of such incidents.

Ezzedine al-Qassam said its fighter Mohammed al-Astal "was martyred while working in one of the tunnels of the resistance", referring to an underground network built for fighting Israel.

At the funeral in his southern Gaza hometown of Khan Yunis, Astal's body was escorted to the grave by a crowd of mourners, many of them armed.

His death brought to 12 the number of Gazans killed in five separate tunnel collapses since January 26, as growing Israeli concerns grow over the reconstruction of "attack tunnels".

Ten of the dead have been members of Ezzedine al-Qassam.

Some Palestinians blame the cave-ins on winter flooding, while others point the finger at neighboring Egypt which has launched an offensive against tunnels into its territory.

Israel’s military chief of staff, Gadi Eisenkot, has said that militant tunnels in Gaza are now the army's main priority.

In repeated conflicts with Israel, Hamas forces have used the tunnels to avoid or carry out attacks, store weapons and at times to enter Israel and capture soldiers.

Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

Gazans have also used tunnels under the Egyptian border for smuggling.

Hamas controls Gaza but an Israeli blockade severely restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory, and Egypt's sole border with Gaza has also remained largely closed since 2013.

In 2014, Egypt began setting up a buffer zone on its border with Gaza, and destroyed hundreds of tunnels it says were used for smuggling weapons and other items.

In September 2015, Egyptian forces carried out excavations that Palestinians says caused the flooding of the last remaining tunnels there.