Tensions Rise on Israel-Gaza Border after Tunnel Found

Israeli fighter jets and attack helicopters have struck what the military identified as “underground infrastructure” belonging to Hamas, the Islamic group that rules the Gaza Strip. The aerial attacks, conducted overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, came after a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel. It was intercepted by the Jewish state’s Iron Dome air-defense system. No one claimed responsibility for the launch. There were no casualties in either attack. The spike in activity followed Tuesday’s announcement by the Israeli military that it had uncovered a tunnel stretching dozens of yards beneath the border from the Gaza Strip. According to a statement, the tunnel was detected by sensors mounted on an underground barrier that Israel is presently constructing along the border. These sensors pick up sounds and vibrations. It was not immediately clear who dug the tunnel although it required significant financial investment, the IDF noted. Israel’s underground barrier will eventually cover its entire border with the Gaza Strip.