“In recent days, IDF forces have established operational control in the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt and Rafah,” IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said Wednesday.
He described the corridor as a “lifeline” for Hamas, through which it “regularly smuggles weapons into Gaza.”
He said the military was “investigating… and neutralizing” tunnels discovered in the area.
Mr. Hagari later said in a briefing with reporters that he was not sure whether all the tunnels passed through Egypt, the New York Times reported.
The Philadelphia Corridor is partly a buffer zone only about 100 meters (330 feet) wide and runs along the Gaza side of the 13 km (8 miles) border with Egypt.
Egypt previously said it had destroyed cross-border tunnels, making arms smuggling impossible.
And a senior Egyptian source quoted by Al-Qahera News said Israel was “using these claims to justify continuing its operation against the Palestinian city of Rafah and prolonging the war for political purposes.” criticized.
Israel has insisted it must take Rafah if it is to win the war sparked by Hamas' unprecedented attack on October 7. The attack left approximately 1,200 people dead and 252 taken hostage.
At least 36,170 people have been killed across Gaza since the civil war began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Tensions between Egypt and Israel have risen since Israeli forces took control of the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip three weeks ago as part of an offensive against Hamas.
Earlier this week, an Egyptian soldier was killed in an incident involving Egyptian and Israeli troops in a border area near Rafah.
Egypt is a strong supporter of Palestine and has condemned Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and the killings of thousands of civilians by Israel in the war.
Like Israel, Egypt has maintained a blockade on its Gaza border since Hamas took power in 2006. Hamas is an offshoot of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood organization banned as a terrorist group in Egypt.
But Egypt has kept channels with Hamas open and has acted as a mediator in sporadic talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
