JERUSALEM, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday that it has demolished a Hamas tunnel on Sunday. This is the fifth tunnel destroyed in recent months.

The tunnel originated in the eastern Gaza Strip and is said to be part of a network of tunnels with its tip reaching the Nahal Oz Kibbutz on the border between Israel and Gaza, said the Israeli army in a statement issued Sunday.

The route of the tunnel was identified by security forces and was thwarted in an engineering operation in Israeli territory, said the Israeli army.

The IDF will not allow Israeli civilians to be harmed or Israeli sovereignty to be breached and will continue operating with determination in the face of all forms of terrorism, said the Israeli army.

Lt. Cl. Conricus said that the detection of the tunnel was not recent but it was decided to demolish it now.

The army said it holds the Hamas responsible for the events but does not seek to escalate the situation.

Tensions between Hamas and Israel have been running high in recent weeks with increasing violent incidents on the border.