By Xinhua writer Wang Bowen
JERUSALEM, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- As the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) blew up a tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into Israel's territory, reportedly causing 11 deaths, Hamas decried it as a "dangerous escalation" against Palestinians and an attempt to sabotage efforts to restore Palestinian unity."
The IDF said in a statement that the tunnel, discovered inside Israeli territory, was believed to have been dug after 2014.
The tunnel ran from the Gaza city of Khan Younis to Kibbutz Kissufim in Israel, crossing under the border for dozens of meters, it said.
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the explosion took place inside Israeli territory, adding, "The majority of the dead were activists (who)entered the tunnel after it was exploded and died in the Gaza Strip, and not as a result of the explosion."
The blowing up of the tunnel killed 11 Palestinians and wounded 12 others, Israel's Channel 2 television station reported.
Speaking with journalists, Colonel Atai Shelach, former commander of the IDF Yahalom unit responsible for destroying tunnels that infiltrate the country, said it was not "a wild guess to assume that there are many other tunnels."
"There are many at different operational levels. Some are just being started, some are in the middle and some of them nearly cross our border," he said. "But once you detect it, the easiest part is to destroy it."
Hamas officials said it was the deadliest incident in the coastal enclave since the 2014 Gaza war. The Gaza Health Ministry identified four of the dead as Islamic Jihad members and two more as Hamas members.
"This is a massacre," Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batash said. "All our options are open. We will take all considerations into account, but we will not allow the enemy to set the rules of engagement."
The Islamic Jihad reportedly wanted an immediate coordinated military response. However, Hamas was urging caution and coordination with Egypt in order not to significantly raise the tension in the region.
Hamas called the Israeli strike a "dangerous escalation against our people" and "a desperate attempt to sabotage efforts to restore Palestinian unity."
The incident occurred ahead of a Palestinian unity deal that is supposed to be implemented over the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas agreed to end their long-time rift following talks mediated by Egypt in Cairo.
Under the deal, a consensus government under Fatah will have full control of Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip by Dec 1.
The agreement is considered a resumption of a reconciliation deal reached in Cairo in 2011 but frozen subsequently.
Ties between Hamas and Fatah, which is led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, soured after Hamas won the last parliamentary elections in 2006 and routed Abbas' forces in 2007 to seize control of the Gaza Strip.
