The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that they have demolished a Hamas tunnel that originated in the central Gaza Strip and stretched to reach Israel.

The IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the tunnel was of "significant length," and the detection, as well as the demolition, were enabled due to "significant developments ... in a new system that the IDF now has."

The army said it holds the Hamas responsible for the events but does not "seek to escalate the situation."

The Gaza Strip, which borders southern Israel, is controlled by the militant Hamas movement, which does not recognize Israel. The two have fought several wars, the last one in 2014.

The war in 2014 began with the discovery of a tunnel that Hamas constructed in order to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks against civilians and soldiers.

Since then, Israel has been developing methods for detection of such tunnels.

source: Xinhua