Two tunnels destroyed by IDF

Israeli forces have destroyed two tunnels dug by Hamas militants to mount attacks in Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said one tunnel, which belonged to Hamas, was destroyed on Sunday in Gaza. It had been cut off during the 2014 Gaza war but Hamas attempted to put it back into operation. Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters that Israeli forces did not cross the border to destroy the tunnel but used a new technique. "We did not use explosives. It (the tunnel) was filled with a certain material, with a certain compound," Mr Conricus said. The tunnel had been dug several hundred metres away from Israel's border fence. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said: "On the basis of quality intelligence and ground-breaking technology, Israel is destroying Hamas tunnels one-by-one." A second tunnel was destroyed near Rafiah. IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said the tunnel was sealed using a method that will prevent it from being rebuilt. “We are monitoring developments, and we decided to attack the tunnel before it crossed over to Israel," he said. Overnight, the IDF thwarted an attempt of the Hamas terror organization to renew an offensive terror tunnel in the Kerem Shalom area in southern Israel pic.twitter.com/4DOYxeMSV3 — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) March 18, 2018 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Our policy is to act with determination against every attempt to harm us, and to systematically destroy the terror tunnel infrastructure, and so shall we continue. “It is time for the international community to recognize that the financial aid going to Gaza is buried underground." The tunnel was neutralized tonight by an engineering action led by the IDF Southern Command operating within Israeli territory to protect its civilians and sovereignty. The IDF does not wish to escalate the situation, but we stand ready and prepared for a variety of scenarios pic.twitter.com/iGqrLMV79O — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) March 18, 2018