GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Until recently, Hamas has been the only movement that has used tunnels since the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip took full effect in 2007. Hamas' use of the tunnels had started to increase after the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in the summer of 2006 during a Gaza cross-border raid. Its use of the tunnels increased further during the 2014 war as it used the tunnels to launch missiles, carry out attacks against Israeli forces and kidnap soldiers. However, these tunnels appear to no longer be the preserve of Hamas — Islamic Jihad has joined in.

On July 10, Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, issued a statement in which it announced for the first time the death of one of its members following the collapse of a tunnel established by the resistance in the northern Gaza Strip. However, Al-Quds Brigades provided no further details on whether the tunnel was established by Islamic Jihad alone or jointly with Hamas.

In addition, local media sources reported July 18 the death of another member of Al-Quds Brigades due to the collapse of a tunnel east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Then, Al-Quds Brigades merely issued a statement announcing the death of a “preparation martyr,” a term used by military wings to describe the martyrs who die while training, digging tunnels or trying out weapons to be used in battles. The brigades gave no further details about the incident.

Al-Monitor tried to communicate with military sources in Islamic Jihad, but those sources preferred “not to make any comment about the subject at this time.”