The Israeli army has uncovered and destroyed a Hamas tunnel which stretched from Gaza into southern Israel.

The 20km-long underground passageway reached 30 or 40 yards into Israel before its demolition this morning.

The IDF would not reveal its exact location, though it is understood to be near Kibbutz Holit, about 8km from both the southern border of Gaza and Egypt.

IDF spokesperson Lt Col Peter Lerner said that the tunnel, the first to be found since the 2014 conflict with Gaza, would prove to be the first of many.

“The working assumption is that this is not the only tunnel penetrating into Israel, that there are others,” he said.

He denied claims from Hamas that the tunnel was an old construction, saying: “This is a new tunnel that was newly discovered and destroyed.”

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated his armed forces and intelligence services for the breakthrough, assuring citizens that the authorities were looking for more tunnels.

“The government is investing a fortune in thwarting the threat of tunnels. This is an ongoing effort and we will continue to invest in it. Israel will respond with force to any attempt by Hamas to attack its soldiers and citizens,” he tweeted today.

Mr Netanyahu continued: “I'm sure that Hamas understands this very well. I want to tell the residents near the Gaza Strip: the IDF is constantly running around the clock to ensure your security."

During the conflict in 2014, the IDF reported finding 32 tunnels around the Gaza border, 14 of which were said to have reached into Israel.

In August 2014, IDF Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was thought to have been kidnapped by Hamas using one of the tunnels, prompting Israel to enact the Hannibal Directive - an all-out bombardment to stop the capture.

An IDF investigation reported that 41 people were killed, including 12 Hamas combatants, before Israel discovered 24 hours later that the lieutenant had been killed in the original battle.