Israel Uncovers 7 km Hamas Tunnel Where Lieutenant Goldin’s Body Held

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recently uncovered a major Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip, where the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was kept for years. Lieutenant Goldin was killed in 2014 during an ambush in Gaza in the Israel-Hamas war. Earlier this month, Israel finally received his remains, ending a long period of uncertainty and grief for his family and the country.

The IDF shared a video showing the tunnel, which runs beneath the densely populated Rafah neighborhood. The tunnel passes through a United Nations relief compound, mosques, clinics, and kindergartens, illustrating the complex environment in which Hamas operates. According to the military, the tunnel was used by Hamas commanders for storing weapons, planning attacks, and hiding underground for extended periods.

The tunnel is an engineering feat, stretching more than 7 kilometers in length, reaching a depth of 25 meters, and containing 80 separate rooms. Many of these rooms were used as command posts by senior Hamas leaders, including Muhammad Shabana, who was killed alongside Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025. The tunnel was discovered by Israel’s elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit.

In a separate security operation, the IDF arrested Marwan Al-Hams, a Hamas member involved in Lieutenant Goldin’s death. He was also suspected of knowing the location of Goldin’s burial in the “White-Crowned” tunnel in Rafah. The recovery of Goldin’s remains in July 2025 was part of a series of confidential operations conducted over six months to ensure the soldier could be returned to Israel for burial.

The discovery of this tunnel comes amid ongoing conflict in Gaza. The current war began in October 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched attacks on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel conducted military operations that have killed over 69,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to health officials in Gaza.

Recent airstrikes by Israel in Khan Younis and nearby towns resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to 18 others. One strike on a house in Bani Suhaila killed three people, including a baby girl, and wounded 15 others. Another strike in the Abassan area killed a man and injured three more. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating a fragile, nearly six-week-old truce, leading to escalating tensions.

The IDF emphasized that operations to locate tunnels and recover the remains of soldiers like Lieutenant Goldin are part of ongoing efforts to protect Israeli civilians and prevent future attacks. The uncovering of the 7-kilometer tunnel highlights the lengths to which Hamas goes to operate underground, often in densely populated areas, and demonstrates the continuing dangers in the Gaza Strip.

Experts say that tunnels like these not only serve military purposes but also pose significant risks to civilian populations living above them. The IDF’s discovery and subsequent security operations underline the strategic importance of monitoring and neutralizing such threats in conflict zones.