The Israeli army discovered one week ago an underground tunnel dug from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip into Israel that was built to kidnap civilians, soldiers or carry out an attack.
The tunnel, which was built with cement supplied by Israel, was over 1.7 kilometers in length and represents a grave attempt by Palestinian terrorists to perpetrate an attack, army sources said.
The entrance of the tunnel on the Israeli side was dug near a kindergarten in the kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, the IDF said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the IDF for unearthing the tunnel, his spokesman said.
The head of COGAT, the Coordinator of Activities in the Territories, Major-General Eitan Dangot, called for Israel to stop the transfer of construction materials to the Gaza Strip following the IDF's announcement, Israel Radio reported.
In the past, as Hamas was using cement and steel to build reinforced bunkers and terror tunnels, in 2007 Israel restricted the flow of these materials primarily to humanitarian projects generally overseen or requested by international humanitarian organizations, often using European Union funding.
Following EU, UN, and international pressure, as well as official requests by the Palestinian Authority, Israel eased some of the restrictions on cement and iron imports.
In September, 155,312 tons of goods entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. Among the goods were construction materials, medical equipment, food and livestock.