WATCH: IDF reveals massive Gaza tunnel network where Lt. Hadar Goldin was held

Israel’s military has disclosed what it describes as one of the most expansive underground tunnel networks uncovered to date in Gaza, an installation that defense officials say was used for years to hold abducted IDF officer Lieutenant Hadar Goldin.

The tunnel route stretches more than 4 miles and runs below a densely populated neighborhood with including schools, clinics, mosques, kindergartens and a UNRWA compound.

The route was exposed during a coordinated operation by Southern Command forces, including engineering teams from the Yahalom combat unit and naval commandos of Shayetet 13. 

Troops operating above ground from the 162nd Division and Gaza Division secured the surrounding area, allowing specialized forces to enter the structure.

Inside the network, soldiers located roughly 80 living quarters and reinforced chambers, which the military says were used as hideouts, operational hubs and weapons storage areas. Officials added that the site functioned as a command infrastructure for senior Hamas operatives, including Mohammad Shabaneh, identified as the commander of the organization’s Rafah Brigade.

The military described the infrastructure as fully equipped for extended habitation and long-term planning, saying it was designed to sustain operations over years while remaining concealed beneath residential and humanitarian sites.

The discovery follows months of operations across the southern Gaza Strip aimed at locating underground networks, weapons depots and command locations. Military officials said the newly exposed tunnel route stands out for its scale, layout and direct proximity to civilian structures.

For years, the fate and location of Hadar Goldin, killed in Gaza in 2014 and whose remains were held by Hamas, has been at the center of national debate and ongoing diplomatic efforts. The newly revealed route is described by the military as the location in which he was held during part of that period.

The IDF said operations in the Rafah sector remain ongoing and that forces “will continue operating in the Gaza Strip to remove any threat to the civilians of the State of Israel.”