Palestinians move east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 30, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area. (Source: Reuters)

“The Southern Command’s engineering unit and the Yahalom detachment (engineering team) discovered and dismantled a multi-level underground tunnel approximately 3 km long, with several branches. Inside the tunnel, several rooms, weapons and vehicles that had been used for a long time were discovered,” the statement posted on the Israeli military’s Telegram channel said.

According to the statement, soldiers of the 252nd Division have been searching for underground routes for the past few weeks. During the operation, hundreds of people and dozens of Hamas infrastructures were destroyed in the central area of ​​the Palestinian enclave.

In a related development, on the same day, August 9, AFP reported that President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen said that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was needed, increasing international pressure for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

On the social media platform X, Ms von der Leyen wrote: "We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It is the only way to save lives, restore hope for peace and ensure the return of hostages.

So I strongly support the effort led by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to help achieve the peace and stability that this region needs."

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on August 8 that the country had agreed to resume ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip on August 15 at the request of mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt, amid soaring tensions in the region.