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Israel battles Hamas in underground tunnels near Jabaliya — ambassador to Russia

Alexander Ben Zvi referred to the media reports that "these tunnels were being built not to be used as bomb shelters, but precisely for letting Hamas use them for attack"

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Israel is fighting with Hamas in underground tunnels in the Jabaliya area, Israeli ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi has told TASS.

"Yes, there are such clashes, especially in the Jabaliya area. These tunnels under Gaza, they say, are 500 kilometers long. It's a whole 'subway network’," he said when asked whether clashes with Hamas had begun in the underground tunnels. "The media had reported that these tunnels were being built not to be used as bomb shelters, but precisely for letting Hamas use them for attack."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, mass killings of civilians in Israeli border communities and the taking of hundreds of hostages, including children, women and elderly people. Hamas described its operation as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and carried out air strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as some areas of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.