Israeli Army Says Found Tunnel from Gaza

W460

The Israeli army said it had discovered on Tuesday a tunnel infiltrating Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip.

The tunnel crosses "dozens of meters (yards) into Israel from Gaza", the army said on Twitter.

It originated in "the southern Gaza Strip, from the Khan Yunis area", the army said in a separate statement.

Gaza is controlled by Islamist group Hamas.

Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the tunnel was a violation of Israel's sovereignty.

He said Israel did not know who exactly had dug the tunnel, but said it held Hamas responsible for all activity in the Palestinian enclave.

The tunnel was discovered thanks to underground sensors near the border, the army statement said, adding that "there was no threat to nearby Israeli communities".

Authorities have discovered some 20 tunnels originating from Gaza since 2014, Conricus said.

Israel has fought three wars with Hamas since 2008 and there have been numerous flare-ups.

The impoverished and densely populated Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, after Hamas took over the coastal enclave.

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