[News] Katz orders tunnel demolition plan, sparks fears of ceasefire collapse

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/katz-orders-tunnel-demolition-plan--sparks-fears-of-ceasefir>
Katz orders tunnel demolition plan, sparks fears of ceasefire collapse
Al Mayadeen English
October 12, 2025
------------------------------

"Israel's" Security Minister Israel Katz announces a new military plan
directing the IOF to destroy Hamas's tunnel network in Gaza.

   - [image: Displaced Palestinians walk amid destroyed buildings in the
   heavily damaged Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 11,
   2025. (AP)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/12/0c4a854a-6fff-4567-a0d5-d82ef8a5ffbd.jpg?width=1000>
   Displaced Palestinians walk amid destroyed buildings in the heavily damaged
   Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, Saturday, October 11, 2025. (
   *AP*)

Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz has announced plans for a new
military operation in Gaza, instructing the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF)
to prepare for the destruction of underground tunnels
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/no-active-resistance-tunnels-in-philadelphi-corridor--israel>
.

In a statement posted on X, Katz said, "The major challenge for Israel
after the phase of returning the hostages will be the destruction of all of
Hamas's terror tunnels in Gaza, directly by the [IOF] and through the
international mechanism to be established under US leadership and
supervision."

He claimed that dismantling the tunnels is essential for implementing the
ceasefire's clause on "demilitarizing Gaza and disarming Hamas." Katz added
that he had "instructed the [IOF] to prepare to carry out the mission."

Observers, however, warn that the announcement represents a clear attempt
to expand "Israel's" military control under the pretext of security. The
current ceasefire agreement
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gaza-ceasefire-takes-effect---israel--resumes-bombing--timin>,
mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, explicitly outlines a
phased process in which reconstruction, humanitarian access, and political
dialogue must precede any disarmament discussions. Unilaterally ordering
the destruction of tunnels in areas no longer under Israeli control would
therefore constitute a breach of the truce and a violation of international
law, analysts warn.

Humanitarian experts warn that renewed operations could jeopardize aid
delivery to Gaza's displaced population and risk reigniting large-scale
hostilities before the international oversight mechanism envisioned in the
ceasefire is even operational.
Subterranean survival

"Israel's" fixation on Gaza's tunnels reflects its continued military
occupation and intelligence failures rather than a viable security plan,
Palestinian commentators say. In July 2024, even Israeli officials admitted
that after nine months of warfare, they still lacked a full understanding
of the tunnel network, described by one security source as a "spider's web
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-security-source-likens-hamas-tunnels-to--spider-s-we>."
The Israeli military's own "Atlantis Project," which sought to flood
tunnels with seawater, was ultimately abandoned after failing to achieve
its objectives.

A later *Washington Post
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hamas-built-underground-war-machine-for-survival--washpo>*
investigation in October 2024 wrote that the Resistance's tunnels, dubbed
the "Gaza metro", were not only a military asset but also a means of
survival for a besieged population enduring years of blockade and
bombardment. The report described how the tunnels enabled the transport of
food, medicine, and materials under conditions of total siege, while also
serving as shelters for fighters and civilians during Israel's bombing
campaigns.
Armed sovereignty

Palestinian Resistance groups, including Hamas and the PIJ, argue that
disarmament cannot occur under occupation, insisting that their right to
resist is protected under international law until sovereignty and
self-determination are achieved. Hamas leaders have rejected any plan
requiring them to surrender weapons
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-proposed-arms-handover-off-the-table--non-negotiable---hama>,
calling such demands one-sided and unrealistic given "Israel's" continued
military presence and daily violations of the truce.

With reconstruction stalled and nearly two million people still displaced,
the latest Israeli announcement raises fears that the ceasefire may once
again give way to renewed aggression. Hamas has also confirmed it will not
take part in the Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit, dismissing the gathering as
symbolic and asserting that any meaningful negotiations must address the
root causes of occupation and blockade.

*Read more: Trump, el-Sisi to co-chair Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/trump--el-sisi-to-co-chair-gaza-peace-summit-in-sharm-el-she>*
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