JERUSALEM/Gaza City (APN) — October 12, 2025 — In a stark reminder of the lingering threats in the wake of a fragile peace, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that he has directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to ramp up preparations for the systematic demolition of an extensive network of underground tunnels attributed to the Palestinian militant group Hamas beneath the Gaza Strip. This move, Katz emphasized, marks the "major challenge for Israel" in the post-hostage recovery phase of the ongoing ceasefire process, underscoring the delicate balance between de-escalation and demilitarization in one of the world's most volatile regions.
Speaking via a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Katz framed the tunnel destruction as a cornerstone of the broader demilitarization efforts outlined in the ceasefire agreement. "The destruction of all of Hamas’s terror tunnels in Gaza will be carried out directly by the IDF and through the international mechanism to be established under US leadership and supervision," he wrote. He further asserted that this operation embodies the "primary meaning" of Gaza's agreed-upon disarmament, aiming to neutralize what Israel views as the militant group's subterranean infrastructure for smuggling weapons, launching attacks, and evading detection. The announcement comes just days after the first phase of a landmark U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect, injecting cautious optimism into a conflict that has ravaged the region for two grueling years.
The tunnels in question form a labyrinthine system, often dubbed the "Gaza Metro" by Israeli officials, estimated to span hundreds of kilometers under the densely populated enclave. Constructed over decades with rudimentary materials and foreign funding—allegedly from sources including Iran—these passages have enabled Hamas to store munitions, coordinate cross-border raids, and shield fighters from aerial surveillance. During the war's height, Israeli forces demolished portions of this network through airstrikes and ground incursions, but experts believe significant sections remain intact, buried deep beneath residential areas and infrastructure. Katz's directive signals a shift from active combat to a more methodical, post-ceasefire engineering effort, potentially involving advanced detection technologies like ground-penetrating radar and explosive ordnance disposal teams.
This development unfolds against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitious 20-point peace framework, unveiled on September 29, 2025, which has been hailed by some as a potential game-changer for Middle East stability. Trump, leveraging his self-proclaimed deal-making prowess, announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had greenlit the plan's initial phase, paving the way for an immediate halt to hostilities, the release of all remaining Israeli captives, and the gradual redeployment of Israeli troops. The agreement, forged in indirect talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, represents a rare convergence of interests amid international pressure for de-escalation. "This is a great day for Israel," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a late-night address, extending gratitude to Trump and his negotiating team for facilitating what he called the "sacred mission" of hostage repatriation.
Phase one, activated at midday Friday, mandated a phased Israeli withdrawal to the so-called "yellow line"—a demarcation roughly aligning with pre-war boundaries around Gaza City and northern corridors—triggering a 72-hour window for prisoner exchanges. Under the deal, Hamas is to release approximately 20 living Israeli hostages, believed to be the last survivors from the 250 abducted during the group's October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, which claimed 1,195 lives, predominantly civilians. In reciprocity, Israel will free around 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including 250 serving life sentences for security-related offenses and 1,700 arrested in Gaza since the war's onset. The logistics of this swap, coordinated through third-party intermediaries like the International Committee of the Red Cross, have already seen preliminary movements: Israeli forces vacated key positions in Khan Younis and Jabalia, allowing displaced Gazans to tentatively return to their shattered homes.
Scenes of tentative relief emerged across the divided landscape. In Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, families of the captives gathered under banners reading "Bring Them Home Now," erupting in cheers as news broke of the impending releases, slated for Monday or Tuesday per Trump's timeline. "We've waited too long, but this feels like the light at the end of the tunnel—ironically," quipped one demonstrator, a sentiment echoed in pro-ceasefire rallies in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, in Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, Palestinians waved flags and distributed sweets, with one resident, Umm Ahmed, a mother of five who fled her bombed-out home in Beit Hanoun, telling reporters: "For the first time in years, we can breathe without fearing the next explosion. But our homes are ghosts now—rubble and memories." Aid convoys, bolstered by a surge in international donations, began rolling into southern crossings like Rafah, carrying essentials from food staples to medical supplies, as per the agreement's provisions for unrestricted humanitarian access.
Yet, the euphoria is tempered by profound skepticism and the scars of devastation. The war, ignited by Hamas's October 7 incursion, has exacted an unimaginable toll. Palestinian health authorities report over 67,600 deaths in Gaza alone as of early October 2025, with women and children comprising the majority—nearly a third under 18—amid relentless Israeli bombardments that leveled hospitals, schools, and entire neighborhoods. Independent analyses, including a peer-reviewed study in The Lancet published in January 2025, suggest the true figure could be 40% higher due to unrecovered bodies under rubble and indirect fatalities from famine, disease, and collapsed healthcare systems. Gaza, once home to 2.3 million people, now lies largely uninhabitable: 80% of structures damaged or destroyed, water systems contaminated, and agricultural lands scorched, rendering the enclave a humanitarian catastrophe zone. The United Nations has described it as "the most intense bombardment in modern history," with over 100,000 injured, including a staggering number of child amputees—the highest per capita globally.
On the Israeli side, the conflict has claimed 1,983 lives, including 466 soldiers in Gaza operations, and wounded thousands more, while displacing communities near the border and straining the economy with defense spending exceeding $60 billion. The psychological imprint is indelible: Families of the 1,100 killed on October 7 recount tales of unimaginable horror, from festival-goers gunned down at the Nova music site to kibbutz residents slaughtered in their beds. "Hamas didn't just attack us; they sought to erase us," said Yael, a survivor from Kibbutz Be'eri, where 130 perished. Israel's military, in turn, claims to have neutralized nearly 20,000 Hamas fighters, though critics, including a leaked Israeli intelligence database reviewed by The Guardian in August 2025, indicate an 83% civilian death rate among Palestinians, raising accusations of disproportionate force and potential war crimes.
Hamas, for its part, portrays the ceasefire not as capitulation but as "the fruit of our people's legendary steadfastness," according to senior leader Mahmoud Mardawi. The group confirmed the deal includes full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and aid influxes, but demanded ironclad guarantees against violations, citing past "manipulations" by Israel. Exiled Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya, in a televised address, detailed the prisoner swap: 250 life-sentence detainees, 1,700 post-October 7 arrestees, plus all female and child prisoners. Yet, underlying tensions persist; Hamas has not formally committed to disarmament in phase two, insisting it as a "red line" without parallel concessions on Palestinian statehood.
Looking ahead, phase two—expected to commence post-exchange—envisions a radical reconfiguration of Gaza's governance. Excluding Hamas entirely, it proposes a multinational security apparatus blending Palestinian forces with contingents from Arab and Islamic nations, potentially including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, under U.S. oversight. Reconstruction pledges pour in: Trump vowed U.S. involvement in rebuilding, eyeing a $50 billion international fund for infrastructure, while the European Union and Gulf states have floated aid packages totaling $20 billion. Netanyahu, however, stressed that Hamas must disarm "the easy way or the hard way," hinting at readiness for renewed operations if compliance falters.
International observers remain guardedly hopeful. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the deal "a vital first step toward justice and healing," urging all parties to prioritize civilians. Yet, regional ripple effects loom large. The war's escalation drew in Hezbollah in Lebanon—where over 2,000 have died in cross-border clashes—and Houthi rebels in Yemen, disrupting Red Sea shipping and inflating global energy prices by 15%. Iran's proxy network, weakened by Israeli strikes, watches warily as Trump's Abraham Accords expansion gains traction, with normalization talks advancing between Israel and Oman.
As Gazans navigate craters and aid lines, and Israelis brace for tunnel-busting ops, the true test lies in translation: Can words on paper—20 points of promise—outlast the echoes of 67,600 graves? For now, the yellow line holds, but peace's foundations are as fragile as the truce itself. With hostages en route and demolition crews mobilizing, October 12, 2025, stands as a pivot: from pulverized earth to tentative rebirth, or prelude to relapse. The world watches, aid trucks rumble, and in Gaza's ruins, survival whispers of hope amid the haze.
