According to senior US and Israeli officials, eliminating the ability for Hamas to use the tunnels is a key point in Israel's attempts to capture the heads of Hamas and recover the hostages.
The widespread estimation is that 20% at least of the tunnels have been destroyed, and 40% have been seriously damaged.
Michael Patrick Mulroy, a former senior official in the Department of Defense, commented that “The Hamas strategy is built around the tunnels because destroying them is liable to cut off the organization's ability to function in the region.”
An Israeli official emphasized that operations against the tunnels are being carried out in an extremely focused and controlled manner. “This is an exceptionally different and difficult assignment, which is being carried out slowly and with great care.
