Tel Aviv, May 30 (IANS): The Israeli military has said that it has taken operational control of the entire route along the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi area, and discovered 20 tunnels that were used for cross-border smuggling.

This was announced by the spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Rear Admiral Daniel Hageri on Wednesday night.

He said several rocket launchers were discovered on the border.

The IDF spokesman said that the newly captured strip of land runs 14 km along the Gaza-Egypt border and is considered Hamas's Oxygen Pipeline for smuggling weapons.

Hageri said that of the 20 tunnels discovered, some were known to the Israeli Army but others were discovered for the first time.

The spokesperson said that 82 tunnel shafts leading into the tunnels have been located in the newly captured border area.

The IDF said its troops are physically controlling most of the corridor but a small section is controlled by aerial surveillance. The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson in the statement also said that Hamas terrorists positioned the rocket launchers near the Egypt border believing that Israel won't shoot fearing that it would reach into Egyptian territory.

“Hamas took advantage of the Philadelphi area, and built its infrastructure just dozens of metres from the border with Egypt so that we can’t strike there,” Hageri said