The Israeli military said Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such by Hamas for the militantsB次元官网网址� deadly Oct. 7 assault.

The entryway to the tunnel is just a few hundred meters (yards) from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base.

The military said it stretches for over 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), links up with a sprawling tunnel network across Gaza and is wide enough for cars to pass through. The army said Sunday that the tunnel facilitated the transit of vehicles, militants, and supplies in preparation for the Oct. 7 attack.

That day, militants used a rocket-propelled grenade to break past the portion of wall close to the Erez crossing and stormed the base, killing at least three soldiers and kidnapping some back to Gaza, the army said. It was one of several places along the border wall where militants easily blew past IsraelB次元官网网址檚 security defenses, entered Israeli territory and killed some 1,200 people and took about 240 others hostage.

The unprecedented attack triggered a devastating war that has raged for over 10 weeks and claimed over 18,000 lives in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel says destruction of HamasB次元官网网址� tunnel network is a major objective and that much of the underground network runs beneath schools, hospitals and residential areas.

IsraelB次元官网网址檚 military, intelligence and political officials have for failing to detect the attack ahead of time.

Maj. Nir Dinar, a military spokesperson, said that Israeli security services did not know about the tunnel before Oct. 7 because IsraelB次元官网网址檚 border defenses only detected tunnels meant to enter Israel.

B次元官网网址淎s far as I know, this tunnel doesnB次元官网网址檛 cross from Gaza into Israel and stops within 400 meters from the border, which means the indicators wonB次元官网网址檛 indicate that a tunnel is being built,B次元官网网址� Dinar said. He added that the entrance, a circular cement opening leading to a cavernous passageway, was located under a garage, hiding it from Israeli drones and satellite images.

While the military was aware that Hamas had an extensive tunnel network, Dinar said they did not think the militants would be able to carry out their plans for a large-scale attack.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 no surprise that this was the Hamas strategy all along,B次元官网网址� Dinar said. B次元官网网址淭he surprise is that they have succeeded and the size of this tunnel B次元官网网址� was really shocking.B次元官网网址�

The Erez crossing, a fortress-like facility that processed the movement of Palestinians into Israel for work, medical care and transit to neighboring Jordan, held great symbolic value for Hamas. The massive crossing was protected by security cameras and military patrols and the adjacent military base. The crossing suffered heavy damage on Oct. 7 and has not reopened.

The army said its special B次元官网网址淵ahalomB次元官网网址� unit, which specializes in tunnel warfare, has worked to excavate the tunnel since it was first detected. They say theyB次元官网网址檝e found weapons inside.

B次元官网网址淎t this point, this is the biggest tunnel in Gaza,B次元官网网址� Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman, told reporters in a tour of the tunnelB次元官网网址檚 entrance on Friday.

It is unclear if the tunnel was used on Oct. 7.

The army also showed reporters soldiersB次元官网网址� barracks at the nearby base that it said were set ablaze by the militants. They looked like the ashes of a furnace, with blackened walls and smelted bunks. The military announced Friday that it had recovered in Gaza the bodies of two soldiers who were working at the base on Oct. 7.

Dinar, who visited the tunnel Friday, said it was twice the height and three times the width of other tunnels found in Gaza. He said it is equipped with ventilation and electricity and dives 50 meters (55 yards) underground in some points. He said it was clear that millions of dollars as well as a great deal of fuel and workforce had been needed to build and sustain the tunnel.

Hagari said the military planned to destroy the tunnel and continue to B次元官网网址渉untB次元官网网址� militants hiding in others.

B次元官网网址淲e will hunt them even if we need to go down to the tunnels,B次元官网网址� Hagari said. B次元官网网址淲e also need to do it with attention to the rescue of our hostages and the understanding that maybe some of them are in the tunnels.B次元官网网址�

Ariel Schalit And Julia Frankel, The Associated Press