“The fighting here in Rafah signifies a very important thing. We are actually shutting off Hamas’s air — Rafah crossing, the tunnels,” Gallant said to troops. “The result is that they have no way of arming themselves, they have no way to equip themselves, they have no way to bring in reinforcements, they have no way to take care of their casualties, and we see this very well.” ....

“Contrary to the stories of some people who are in the tunnels shouting and broadcasting to those who are in the hotels in Qatar… in practice Hamas… is being worn down. We are destroying the tunnels, we are destroying the weapons, and reaching places it never dreamed we would reach, at great depths belowground,” he said referring to Hamas’s leadership in Gaza that is believed to be bunkered in the vast network of tunnels the group has dug under the Palestinian enclave.