This is John Batcher, conversation with my colleague Jonathan Schans or Vice President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy,

asking about an issue that's been around for years, freshly, however, since the IDF took control of the Philadelphia route

that's the southernmost part of Gaza along the Egyptian Sinai border

international border. The discovery of at least 20 maybe up to 50

tunnels underneath the Philadelphia route leading into Sinai. Some of them

large enough to drive a bus through I'm told. The axis of tunnels is

here. This is where Hamas restores itself, its weapons, its building materials to build the 500 miles of

tunnels beneath Gaza, its preparation for the war.

From Egypt, so I asked Jonathan, is that still an issue to be discussed behind closed

doors and what happens next? And Jonathan has a very careful answer. Yes, behind closed doors. And he introduces officials from the United States of America in the mix.

To what end?

Not yet clear.

Jonathan Schanser on the tunnels underneath the Philadelphia route leading into Sinai.

From Rafa to Sinai underneath the Philadelphia route, now controlled by the Israeli Defense Forces.

More of this later.

That is still the case, not discussing it widely in public.

I'm hearing though, even U.S. officials now mentioning their concern about this former and present.

So this is still very much a real possibility and something that could be a major disruption to US-Egypt ties.