Seven Hamas militants killed in Gaza tunnel collapse

Seven Hamas militants were confirmed killed Thursday after a tunnel built for fighting Israel collapsed in the Gaza Strip, highlighting concerns that yet another conflict could eventually erupt in the Palestinian enclave.

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, said that four militants managed to escape after the collapse late on Tuesday in the northeast of the strip.

The collapse occurred after several days of rain.

Al-Qassam Brigades said the seven "martyrs" were killed "when they were going to prepare for fighting with the enemy."

Eight militants were initially reported missing by a security source. A Hamas source said three managed to escape within the first hour of the collapse, while a fourth was later rescued.

The rescued man was injured, the source said, but it was not clear how seriously. Officials fromHamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip, were seeking to keep tight control over information regarding the incident.

The collapse comes at a time of renewed focus on tunnels in Gaza, with Israel accusing Hamas of reconstructing them with the aim of attacking it following its 2014 war with Palestinian militants in the enclave, when many were destroyed.

Al-Qassam Brigades said the men killed were working on rebuilding a tunnel previously used for attacks when the collapse occurred. It was not clear if it was referring to the tunnel that collapsed or another connected to it.

Several idle bulldozers could be seen on Thursday morning in an area next to a farm where thetunnel is believed to have been located. The area is about a kilometre (0.6 miles) from the Israeli border.