Israeli troops are mapping out the tunnels of eastern Rafah [December 2025], where the local Hamas brigade is trapped, and using massive drills to dig into the underground system and destroy it with explosives, according to Israeli military statements. Israel estimates there were around 100 to 200 fighters in the tunnels when the cease-fire began in October 2025…In some areas, Israel is flooding tunnels with water to push out the trapped fighters…

Rafah, where Hamas first began digging tunnels around two decades ago, has a particularly complicated underground system. Despite having full control above ground in Rafah, Israel’s military is still struggling to fully map out the underground network where the Hamas fighters are hiding…

Excerpt from Summer Said, srael Closes In on Hamas Fighters Trapped in Tunnels, Testing Cease-Fire, WSJ, Dec. 7, 2025