ISTANBUL

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that he instructed the army to prepare for the demolition of what he claimed are underground tunnels used by the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On the US social media company X, Katz called the demolition "the major challenge for Israel after the phase of returning the hostages," claiming that it would be carried out "directly by the IDF (Israeli army) and through the international mechanism to be established under US leadership and supervision.”

The minister claimed that the demolition of tunnels is the “primary meaning” of the agreed demilitarization of Gaza and disarmament of Hamas under the ceasefire deal.

US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

Phase one of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect at midday Friday. Israeli forces completed a gradual withdrawal to the so-called yellow line, triggering a 72-hour window for the exchange process.

A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,600 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.