Israeli Military Staged Gaza Tunnel Discovery To Derail Ceasefire Deal

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has uncovered that the Israeli military staged the discovery of a tunnel in the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border. Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant admitted that the military released a misleading photo to derail a potential prisoner exchange deal at the time.

Israeli Military Fabricated Gaza Tunnel Discovery to Prevent Ceasefire Deal

On April 22, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN released an investigation that exposed that the Israeli military faked the discovery of a tunnel in the Philadelphi Corridor near the Gaza-Egypt border.

KAN reported that the Israeli Occupation Forces falsely presented a shallow canal, covered in dirt, as a large tunnel on August 4, 2024.
The Israeli military published the photo on the social media platform X, claiming it showed a three-meter-deep tunnel in the Philadelphi Corridor.

“In recent operational activity, [Israeli military] troops eliminated dozens of tunnel routes in the area of the Philadelphi Corridor and continue to locate additional ones. A three-meter-high tunnel was uncovered in the area at the beginning of last week,” the post said.

The broadcaster stated that this deception aimed to exaggerate the strategic importance of the Philadelphi Corridor and delay a potential hostage deal with Hamas.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed the report, admitting that the photo circulated by the military was misleading.

Gallant confirmed that the structure was only about one meter deep and admitted that the military falsely presented it as a deep tunnel to block a ceasefire deal.

“It was not a tunnel, but rather an attempt to prevent a ceasefire agreement,” he said. “It was promoted to the public as a deep tunnel to prevent reaching a deal with Hamas.”

When the photo was released, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the Israeli military would maintain its presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, despite objections from Israel’s security and military circles.

“We will not back down from our demand regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, and I do not care about the position of the security services,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with the families of the female soldiers.

Egyptian Officials Refute Claims of Active Tunnels Along Gaza Border

In August 2024, Misbar's team debunked the Israeli military’s claims about the existence of active tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Citing a high-level source, Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News channel reported that Israel’s tunnel claims were an attempt to deflect from its military failures in Gaza and justify continued aggression.

“Israel has not provided evidence of operational tunnels along the Gaza border and is leveraging the existence of closed tunnels in Gaza to disseminate false claims for political purposes,” the source said.

The Egyptian official further accused Israel of using unfounded tunnel claims as a pretext to escalate violence, expand settlements, and commit acts of genocide against Palestinians.

In May 2024, Egyptian authorities also dismissed the same claim of active tunnels on the border with Gaza. A senior source stated unequivocally that no operational tunnels exist on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza.

Netanyahu and Gallant Dispute Over Military Presence in Philadelphi Corridor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly declared that Israel will maintain a permanent military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, even though this action would violate the Camp David Accords with Egypt.

However, the ex-defense minister Yoav Gallant has publicly opposed Netanyahu’s stance. In leaked remarks to the Israeli press, Gallant called the policy a “moral disgrace.”

On November 6, 2024, Netanyahu dismissed Gallant from his role and appointed Israel Katz as the new Minister of Defense.

It is worth noting that both Netanyahu and Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes.

Mediators Present New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

A senior Palestinian official involved in Gaza ceasefire talks told the BBC that Qatari and Egyptian mediators have put forward a new proposal to end the war in Gaza.

The plan includes a truce lasting between five and seven years, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a formal end to the war, and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

A senior Hamas delegation was expected to arrive in Cairo for discussions on the proposal.

Israel broke the ceasefire agreement a month ago when it resumed bombing Gaza. Since then, at least 1,928 Palestinians have been killed.
Overall, the Israeli war on Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 51,266 Palestinians and injured 116,991, according to official sources.

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