The IDF says it has uncovered another major Hamas tunnel network in southern

The IDF says it has uncovered another major Hamas tunnel network in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, believed to have been used by the terror group's senior officials.

Troops of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and additional forces under the 98th Division raided the underground passages, where they encountered several blast doors and other blockages set up by Hamas operatives, the IDF says.

The troops breached the barricades and identified Hamas gunmen in the tunnel, who were then killed in close-quarters combat and with other "special means," according to the IDF.

The IDF says the tunnel — more than a kilometer long — included living quarters, as well as water and electricity infrastructure. It estimates that Hamas invested millions of shekels in its construction.

"This tunnel is part of a strategic and branching underground network located below Khan Younis, which was used by senior Hamas officials and the [terror group's] Khan Younis Brigade for hiding and combat," the IDF says.