- The Israel Defense Forces said fighter jets hit some 150 "underground targets" in Gaza.
- The IDF hit Hamas targets with the heaviest bombardment of the conflict so far.
One hundred Israeli fighter jets hit 150 "underground" Hamas targets in Gaza as part of the heaviest bombing raid of the conflict so far on Saturday.
The airstrikes targeted Hamas tunnel networks and underground combat areas, the Israel Defense Forces said in an announcement reported by outlets including The Guardian.
Hamas has developed an extensive tunnel network under the streets of Gaza. They were described by one 85-year-old Israeli hostage taken by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attacks as a "spider's web," while another expert said they were like the "Viet Cong times 10," Reuters reported.
The Palestinian militant group's tunnels have a variety of uses, including storage, transport, and attack, said Western and Middle East sources who spoke to Reuters.
Israel was targeting the tunnels, said IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus in an update posted on X earlier this month.
Over the past 20 years Hamas had built "a network of tunnels from Gaza City and under Gaza City" down to Khan Yunis and Rafah, he said.
"Think of the Gaza Strip as one layer for civilians and then another layer for Hamas. We are trying to get to that second layer that Hamas has built," Conricus said.
"These aren't bunkers for the Gazan civilians to have access to when Israel is striking. It's only for Hamas and other terrorists so that they can continue to fire rockets at Israel, to plan operations, to launch terrorists into Israel," he added.
The Hamas tunnel system, known has been dubbed the "metro" by Israeli military planners, per The Guardian.
More than 1,400 people were killed in the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7 and 200 were taken hostage into Gaza.