IDF 188th Brigade and Yahalom Unit Destroy Four Hamas Tunnel Structures in Southern Gaza Including Hostage-Holding Site

The IDF's 188th (Iron Tracks) Armored Brigade, working alongside the Yahalom combat engineering unit, destroyed four underground Hamas tunnel structures in southern Gaza on May 11, 2026 — the first day of renewed IDF operations following the security cabinet's May 10 authorization. The tunnel network, east of the ceasefire Yellow Line, totaled approximately 2.5 miles in length and included infrastructure used to hold Israeli hostages following the October 7, 2023 attack, as well as living quarters belonging to senior Hamas Khan Younis Brigade commanders. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were found and destroyed inside the tunnels. Simultaneously, the Kfir Infantry Brigade destroyed two additional tunnel routes in central Gaza spanning approximately 1.2 miles, containing rockets, explosives, and hideouts. The IDF said the operations demonstrate that Hamas's tunnel network — estimated at 500+ km at its peak — had been only partially neutralized during the October 2023–October 2025 ground campaign and that Hamas had used the 212-day ceasefire to regroup and reconstruct portions of its underground infrastructure. The operations marked the first significant IDF activity under the formal renewed war authorization.