The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday rejected an earlier Israel Police announcement that officers had uncovered a 25-meter-deep tunnel in the West Bank city of Qalqilya, saying military engineers instead found two shafts about 12 meters deep with no connecting underground route.
The clarification followed a joint overnight operation by IDF troops, Border Police and Israel Police in Qalqilya after intelligence indicated weapons were being stored in the area. Four suspects were arrested and taken for questioning, while security forces continued searching for additional weapons and shafts.
Police said Wednesday that officers had found a tunnel still under excavation, along with the beginning of a second tunnel. They also reported seizing an M16 rifle, a sniper rifle, ammunition, magazines, phones, a digital video recorder and fertilizer that could be used in explosives.
After soldiers from the IDF’s Yahalom combat engineering unit examined the site, the military issued a sharply different account. It said two shafts approximately 12 meters deep had been located and that an M16 rifle, a hunting rifle, a handgun, and ammunition were found near them.
“Contrary to official and irresponsible statements that emerged on the matter, following an examination of the shafts, the presence of a tunnel route was ruled out,” the IDF said.
The military also said the shafts were not close to the security barrier separating parts of the West Bank from Israel, contradicting concerns that the excavations could have been intended to approach or cross the barrier.
Qalqilya, in the northern West Bank, lies close to the Green Line and the Israeli city of Kfar Saba. Much of the Palestinian city is bordered by Israel’s security barrier, making reports of underground excavation there particularly sensitive.
The IDF said forces were continuing searches in the area for additional weapons and possible shafts. Neither the military nor police immediately explained why their initial assessments differed so sharply.
