Israel vows to destroy Gaza tunnels once hostages free

Israel plans to destroy what remains of Hamas's network of tunnels under Gaza, working with U.S. approval after its hostages are freed, it said on Sunday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation would be conducted under an "international mechanism" led by the United States, sponsor of the three-day-old Gaza ceasefire.

"Israel's great challenge after the hostage release phase will be the destruction of all Hamas terrorist tunnels in Gaza," Katz said in a statement.

"I have ordered the army to prepare to carry out this mission."

The Palestinian militant group Hamas operates a network of tunnels under Gaza, allowing its fighters to operate out of sight of Israeli reconnaissance.

Some have passed under the border fence into Israel, allowing surprise attacks.

Many have already been destroyed during the two-year war triggered by the group's October 7, 2023 cross-border assault into Israel.

Katz said the remainder would be destroyed under the framework of Hamas's disarming and demilitarization, foreseen in the next stages of the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan.

Hamas has agreed to the first stage of the plan, which led to a ceasefire on Friday and on Monday should see the release of 48 Israeli hostages, living and dead.

In exchange, Israel is expected to release 250 "national security prisoners", including several blamed for deadly attacks, and 1,700 Gazans detained by the military.

But Hamas has resisted calls to disarm, and on Sunday senior official Hossam Badran told AFP the second phase of the U.S. plan "contains many complexities and difficulties."