Defense Minister Israel Katz warns that Hamas’s deadly tunnel network remains largely intact, as Israel and the U.S. coordinate to complete Gaza’s demilitarization under the Trump peace plan.
In a stark revelation underscoring the ongoing threat lurking beneath Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz informed U.S. Vice President JD Vance that more than 60% of Hamas’s terror tunnels remain undestroyed, according to a Channel 12 News report aired Friday night.
The disclosure highlights the massive challenge Israel continues to face — even after two years of relentless warfare and counterterror operations — as Hamas’s underground empire of death continues to endanger Israeli soldiers and civilians.
According to the report, many of these tunnels extend beneath both sides of the “yellow line” — the designated security boundary — meaning that some exist even in zones currently controlled by the IDF. One such tunnel was used by Hamas terrorists just last week in the Rafah sector, where two Israeli soldiers were killed during a counterterror operation.
The data shared with Vice President Vance revealed that, despite thousands of targeted strikes and advanced detection technologies, Israel has so far neutralized fewer than 40% of Hamas’s tunnel network — a reminder of the sheer scale of the underground infrastructure built with Iranian funding and Qatari cement over years of deception.
Explosions recently heard along the Gaza border, Channel 12 clarified, are the result of ongoing IDF demolition operations — proof that Israel’s fight against Hamas infrastructure continues even under the current U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
In his conversation with Vice President Vance, Katz emphasized that destroying Hamas’s tunnel grid is the cornerstone of Gaza’s demilitarization — a central pillar of President Trump’s long-term peace and security framework.
“The destruction of the tunnels is the most important joint mission in the demilitarization of Gaza, in accordance with the Trump plan, and preparations must be made to carry it out,” Katz said.
He added resolutely:
“We must bring back all the hostages and fallen, eliminate every tunnel, strip Hamas of its weapons, and ensure it never again governs Gaza.”
Katz’s comments reinforce Israel’s unwavering stance that peace is inseparable from security, and that true reconstruction in Gaza can only begin once Hamas’s subterranean terror state is completely eradicated.
For Israel and its allies — particularly the United States — the message is clear: The war may be paused, but the mission to crush Hamas’s underground terror network continues relentlessly.
