Hamas spent years siphoning the Palestinian people’s resources and money to dig hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under Gaza, all sold as essential to “protect the resistance.” Yet the war after October 7 exposed the lie: most senior Hamas leaders killed in Gaza weren’t found in tunnels at all. They were hiding in tents, schools, apartments, and civilian areas, dragging dozens, sometimes hundreds, of Palestinians to their deaths each time they were targeted by the Israeli military.
Today’s strike on Izz al-Din al-Haddad fits the same pattern seen with Mohammed al-Deif, Marwan Issa, Sinwar, Ismail Barhoum, Salah al-Bardawil, and many others. The tunnel narrative was ultimately a fraud; billions wasted, thousands killed, all to maintain the illusion that burrowing into muddy, airless tunnels was some noble form of resistance. Ultimately, the tunnels served mainly to imprison a fraction of the hostages in horrific underground conditions, while most hostages were kept above ground with Hamas families or embedded among civilians in homes, markets, schools, and medical facilities.
Gaza cannot rebuild while any tunnels remain. Every intact shaft is a ready-made sanctuary for Hamas to hide weapons, fighters, and sabotage any future administration trying to stabilize and transform the territory.