On Tuesday Israel annouced the completion of a high-tech underground wall around the Gaza Strip aimed at preventing militants from entering the country.

The barrier includes hundreds of cameras, radars and other sensors, command centres and control rooms, the defence ministry said in a statement.

It also includes a maritime barrier equipped with means to detect infiltrations at sea and a remote-controlled weapon system. The barrier spans over 65 km and more than 140,000 tons of iron and steel were used in its construction. Its construction lasted about three and a half years.

"The barrier, which is an innovative and technologically advanced project, deprives Hamas of one of the capabilities it tried to develop," Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in the statement.

“[It] places an ‘iron wall’, sensors and concrete between the terror organisation and the residents of Israel’s south,” he said of the project, which beefs up an existing fence.

According to Gantz, the barrier will provide Israeli citizens "a sense of security.”

It said the project’s “smart fence” is more than 6 metres (20 feet) high and its maritime barrier includes means to detect infiltration by sea and a remote-controlled weapons system. The ministry did not disclose the depth of the underground wall.

Gaza also has a 14km (8.7 miles) long border with Egypt, which has also clamped down on crossings, citing security concerns. Since 2013, Egyptian forces have demolished smuggling tunnels while Hamas, on its side, has stepped up patrols.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the group seized control of the coastal Gaza Strip in 2007 from forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Image Credit: AFP