JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israeli troops from the Negev Brigade have completed operations in the southern Gaza Strip, dismantling eight underground Hamas tunnel routes spanning more than 2.5 kilometers, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

Reserve troops operating under the Gaza Division cleared terrorist infrastructure in the area over several months. One of the tunnels was part of the eastern Rafah terror network, where Hamas operatives had been active in recent months. IDF forces struck and eliminated terrorists inside that tunnel during an engineering operation, the military said.

The Negev Brigade (12) concluded its seventh operational deployment since the start of the war. Paratroopers Brigade troops will replace them in the sector.

IDF units under Southern Command remain deployed in the area in line with the ceasefire framework and will continue to act against any immediate threats.

The military described the tunnels as part of Hamas’ underground infrastructure used by the terrorist organization.