Israeli army says discovers tunnel in Gaza-Egypt border

GAZA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — The Israeli army said on Sunday it has discovered a three-meter-high tunnel in the Philadelphi Corridor along the border between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that recently, IDF troops have been working to locate and destroy underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi area, a 14-kilometer-long land strip along the Gaza-Egypt border.
In one of the operations, a three-meter-high tunnel was uncovered in the Philadelphi Corridor, it added.
So far, the troops have destroyed dozens of routes, according to IDF.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the IDF statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Hamas is not prepared to accept any mechanism that prevents the passage of weapons and militants to the northern Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said in a statement.
In early May, the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing, which led to the suspension of the entry of aid into Gaza via this crossing. ■