The Gaza Strip's tunnel network was built by Hamas and other Palestinian groups to store weapons, move fighters, launch attacks and hold hostages. As of October 6, 2023 the opening quoted Israeli spokesmen who said the tunnels' aim, as "terror tunnels," was to harm Israeli civilians. Today's opening no longer uses that term, though terror survives 35 times in the body. A reader today does not learn that Israeli officials call this network "terror tunnels."
Read line by line and written up by hand.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-01. “terror” appeared 3 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 35.
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The opening as it read in October 6, 2023
Use of tunnels for military operations in the Gaza Strip Not to be confused with Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels . IDF soldier overlooking an uncovered tunnel in the Gaza Strip Hamas , the governing authority in the Gaza Strip , has constructed a sophisticated network of military tunnels since it seized control of the Strip in 2007. The tunnel system branches beneath many Gazan towns and cities, such as Khan Yunis , Jabalia and the Shati refugee camp . The internal tunnels, running some dozens of kilometres within the Gaza Strip, have several functions. Hamas uses the tunnels to hide its arsenal of rocketry underground, to facilitate communication, to permit munition stocks to be hidden, and to conceal militants, making detection from the air difficult. Hamas leader Khalid Meshal said in an interview with Vanity Fair that the tunnel system is a defensive structure, designed to place obstacles against Israel's powerful military arsenal and engage in counter-strikes behind the lines of the IDF . He admitted that the tunnels are used for infiltration of Israel, but said that offensive operations have never caused the death of civilians in Israel, and denied allegations of planned mass attacks on Israeli civilians. The cross-border tunnels were used in the capture of Gilad Shalit in 2006, and multiple times during the 2014 conflict. Destroying the tunnels was a primary objective of Israeli forces in the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict . The IDF reported that it "neutralized" 32 tunnels, fourteen of which crossed into Israel. On at least four occasions during the conflict, Palestinian militants crossing the border through the tunnels engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers. Officially, Israeli spokesmen has always maintained that the aim of the “terror tunnels” is to harm Israel civilians. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , the “sole purpose” of the cross-border tunnels from Gaza to Israel is “the destruction of our citizens and killing of our children.” But an Israeli intelligence source that spoke to Times of Israel claimed that none of the nine cross-border tunnels were aimed at civilian border communities. All the infiltration attempts have focused on attacking military targets. The main aim of the attacks seems to have been to capture an IDF prisoner. The UNHRC Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza Conflict found "the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets." Israeli officials condemned the UNHRC report. The UN Commission of Inquiry found the tunnels "caused great anxiety among Israelis that the tunnels might be used to attack civilians." Ihab al-Ghussein , spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry, describes the tunnels as an exercise of Gaza's "right to protect itself." Israeli officials reported four "incidents in which members of Palestinian armed groups emerged from tunnel exits located between 1.1 and 4.7 km from civilian homes." The Israeli government refers to cross-border tunnels as "attack tunnels" or "terror tunnels." According to Israel, the tunnels enabled the launch of rockets by remote control, and were intended to facilitate hostage-taking and mass-casualty attacks. William Booth, 'Here's what really happened in the Gaza war according to the Israelis,' Washington Post 3 September 2014. The New York Times . The Official Blog of the Israel Defense Forces . The Times of Israel . Galei Tzahal . 14 August 2014. : "A senior military official estimated tonight (Thursday) in a conversation with Army Radio that the IDF can complete the task of destroying the tunnels within 48 hours. The military official said: 'all the tunnels were aimed at military targets and not at the Gaza-vicinity communities'..." United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict (22 June 2015). Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 . Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 . The New York Times . "They planned to carry out a massacre here," Eyal Brandeis, 50, a lecturer in political science and one of the few residents remaining here, said of the Hamas militants who came out of the tunnel armed with machine guns and grenades.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1147951915.
The opening as it stood in 2015
IDF soldier overlooking an uncovered tunnel in the Gaza Strip In the Gaza Strip , the governing authority Hamas developed a sophisticated network of military tunnels . The tunnel system branches beneath many Gazan towns and cities, such as Khan Yunis , Jabalia and the Shati refugee camp . The internal tunnels, running some dozens of kilometres within the Gaza Strip, have several functions. Hamas uses the tunnels to hide its arsenal of rocketry underground, to facilitate communication, to permit munition stocks to be hidden and to conceal militants, making detection from the air difficult. The cross-border tunnels were used in the capture of Gilad Shalit in 2006, and multiple times during the 2014 conflict. Destroying the tunnels was a primary objective of Israeli forces in the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict . The IDF reported that it "neutralized" 32 tunnels, fourteen of which crossed into Israel. On at least four occasions during the conflict, Palestinian militants crossing the border through the tunnels engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers. In practice, only Israeli military targets have successfully been attacked through them. The UNHRC Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza Conflict found "the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets." Israeli officials condemned the UNHRC report. The UN Commission of Inquiry found the tunnels "caused great anxiety among Israelis that the tunnels might be used to attack civilians." Ihab al-Ghussein , spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry, describes the tunnels as an exercise of Gaza's "right to protect itself." Israeli officials reported four "incidents in which members of Palestinian armed groups emerged from tunnel exits located between 1.1 and 4.7 km from civilian homes." The Israeli government refers to cross-border tunnels as "attack tunnels" or "terror tunnels." According to Israel, the tunnels enabled the launch of rockets by remote control, and were intended to facilitate hostage-taking and mass-casualty attacks. The New York Times . The Official Blog of the Israel Defense Forces . The Times of Israel . Galei Tzahal . 14 August 2014. : "A senior military official estimated tonight (Thursday) in a conversation with Army Radio that the IDF can complete the task of destroying the tunnels within 48 hours. The military official said: 'all the tunnels were aimed at military targets and not at the Gaza-vicinity communities'..." United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict (22 June 2015). Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 . Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 . The New York Times . "They planned to carry out a massacre here," Eyal Brandeis, 50, a lecturer in political science and one of the few residents remaining here, said of the Hamas militants who came out of the tunnel armed with machine guns and grenades. : Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored ( |url-status= suggested) ( help ) Rudoren, Jodi (22 July 2014).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669206306.
The opening as it stood in 2020
IDF soldier overlooking an uncovered tunnel in the Gaza Strip Hamas , the governing authority in the Gaza Strip , has constructed a sophisticated network of military tunnels since it seized control of the Strip in 2007. The tunnel system branches beneath many Gazan towns and cities, such as Khan Yunis , Jabalia and the Shati refugee camp . The internal tunnels, running some dozens of kilometres within the Gaza Strip, have several functions. Hamas uses the tunnels to hide its arsenal of rocketry underground, to facilitate communication, to permit munition stocks to be hidden and to conceal militants, making detection from the air difficult. Hamas leader Khalid Meshal has said in an interview with Vanity Fair that their tunnel system is a defensive structure designed to place obstacles against Israel's powerful military arsenal, to protect its people, and engage in counter-strikes against the IDF when Gaza is attacked, and that it has never caused the death of civilians, being safer than their system of unguidable missiles which are not intended to threaten civilians but strike indiscriminately. The cross-border tunnels were used in the capture of Gilad Shalit in 2006, and multiple times during the 2014 conflict. Destroying the tunnels was a primary objective of Israeli forces in the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict . The IDF reported that it "neutralized" 32 tunnels, fourteen of which crossed into Israel. On at least four occasions during the conflict, Palestinian militants crossing the border through the tunnels engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers. In practice, only Israeli military targets have successfully been attacked through them. The UNHRC Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza Conflict found "the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets." Israeli officials condemned the UNHRC report. The UN Commission of Inquiry found the tunnels "caused great anxiety among Israelis that the tunnels might be used to attack civilians." Ihab al-Ghussein , spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry, describes the tunnels as an exercise of Gaza's "right to protect itself." Israeli officials reported four "incidents in which members of Palestinian armed groups emerged from tunnel exits located between 1.1 and 4.7 km from civilian homes." The Israeli government refers to cross-border tunnels as "attack tunnels" or "terror tunnels." According to Israel, the tunnels enabled the launch of rockets by remote control, and were intended to facilitate hostage-taking and mass-casualty attacks. William Booth, 'Here's what really happened in the Gaza war according to the Israelis,' Washington Post 3 September 2014. The New York Times . The Official Blog of the Israel Defense Forces . The Times of Israel . Galei Tzahal . 14 August 2014. : "A senior military official estimated tonight (Thursday) in a conversation with Army Radio that the IDF can complete the task of destroying the tunnels within 48 hours. The military official said: 'all the tunnels were aimed at military targets and not at the Gaza-vicinity communities'..." United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict (22 June 2015). Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 . Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 . The New York Times . "They planned to carry out a massacre here," Eyal Brandeis, 50, a lecturer in political science and one of the few residents remaining here, said of the Hamas militants who came out of the tunnel armed with machine guns and grenades.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 953839812.
The opening as it stood in 2025 26 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Use of tunnels for military operations in the Gaza Strip Not to be confused with Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels . An Israeli soldier overlooking an uncovered Palestinian tunnel in the Gaza Strip during 2014 Gaza War A vast network of underground tunnels used for smuggling and warfare exists in the Gaza Strip .This infrastructure runs throughout the Gaza Strip and towards Egypt and Israel , and has been developed by Hamas and other Palestinian military organizations to facilitate the storing and shielding of weapons; the gathering and moving of fighters, including for training and communication purposes; the launching of offensive attacks against Israel; and the transportation of Israeli hostages.On several occasions, Palestinian militants have also used this tunnel network, which is colloquially referred to as the Gaza metro , to infiltrate Israel and Egypt while masking their presence and activities within the Gaza Strip itself.According to Iranian military officer Hassan Hassanzadeh, who commands the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from Tehran , the Gaza Strip's tunnels run for more than 500 kilometres (310 mi) throughout the territory."The 'Gaza metro': The mysterious subterranean tunnel network used by Hamas" . 28 October 2023."فرمانده سپاه تهران: مردم غزه بیش از ۵۰۰ کیلومتر تونل دارند و در آن سلاح ذخیره کردند" . 27 April 2024.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1295025150. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
“terror” appeared 3 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 35. Read the current article and compare.
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
terror
1
1
2
0
militant
2
2
2
1
hostage
1
1
1
1
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
Where the word went
It left the opening. It did not leave the article. Wikipedia moved it down the page, where a reader arriving from a search result will not reach it.
“terror” now appears 4× under Israel's countermeasures, 71% of the way down the article
Sections that no longer exist
Present on 6 October 2023, absent today. A heading can vanish because the section was deleted or because it was renamed or merged, and we have not separated those here, so treat this as a list of what to check rather than a verdict.
Strategic objectives5,172 characters
Use in attacks1,884 characters
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
