The Israeli military says it has destroyed a tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip, though Israel and into Egypt.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus says Sunday the 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza's main point of humanitarian aid, and under strategic gas and fuel pipelines. He says Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated "tools" destroyed the rest.

He said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible.

Israel has placed a high priority on halting the tunnel threat since Hamas infiltrated Israel during the 2014 war. It marks the third such tunnel Israel has destroyed over the past two months.