Israel Defense Forces soldiers gave journalists a rare peek into Hamas’ 300-mile underground tunnel system through an entrance found at al-Shifa Hospital – showing the medical facility is used as a nerve center for the terror group’s operations.
Journalists descended into a terrorist tunnel on Wednesday through a tunnel shaft at Gaza’s largest hospital complex, following weeks of Hamas denials that such a structure exists.
The underground structure includes various rooms that house beds, kitchens, bathrooms and storage of weapons, explosives and drones.
The IDF said the discovery of the tunnel system occurred on November 17, when gunfire near the hospital complex found an entrance next to the Qatari facility.
The small hole, only big enough for one person to enter at a time, leads to a dark, dank tunnel that runs under foreign territory before reaching the Hamas-run compound.
The IDF allowed members of the media to visit a secure section of the tunnel system under al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday. AP Inside the tunnel, IDF soldiers seized many weapons and ammunition. AFP via Getty Images The base was discovered after shelling near al-Shifa revealed the entrance to the shaft last week.REUTERS
In the video that goes down into the tunnel, the bathroom is the first room visible in the base followed by a long white room with a large air conditioning system installed. The room connected to another tunnel with a small kitchen.
There is also a smaller room inside the facility that the IDF says may have housed some of the hostages kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Sections of the tunnel journalists were allowed to see were safe after the IDF first highlighted its exploration of the tunnel under al-Shifa last week, where soldiers paused at a blast-proof door with a slot that allowed Hamas gunmen to fire at intruders.
The entrance is big enough for one person to stop by at a time. REUTERS There were also several grenades and other explosives in the basement. AFP via Getty Images Part of the underground base includes a small kitchen.REUTERS
Inside the tunnel, the IDF seized a large amount of firearms and ammunition, along with several grenades, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and several drones designed to deliver explosives.
The IDF also pointed to a fuse box inside the tunnel system that they said siphoned power from the hospital complex to fuel Hamas terrorist activity below.
The Israeli military spent the last few days making sure that the tunnels were not trapped to allow journalists access.
IDF Colonel Elad Tsuri said the IDF was working to clear a path further from the tunnels found under al-Shifa, saying soldiers had found an exit leading to a Gaza kindergarten.
“That’s how they survive because they use the hospital as a human shield that protects them,” Tsuri said.
Israeli military spokesman Vice Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the world needs to hold Hamas responsible for operating under the hospital, calling it a “war crime.”
A sophisticated tunnel system features passageways to several rooms beneath the hospital. AFP via Getty Images The IDF is working to secure the entire tunnel route under al-Shifa, with one leading to a kindergarten facility. AFP via Getty Images
Hamas officials have yet to comment on the latest evidence released by the IDF.
The visit under al-Shifa came just a day after Israel released footage of another Hamas base located under a Gaza mosque.
The chilling video shows a shaft that the IDF says leads directly to a Hamas terrorist tunnel under a synagogue
Israeli soldiers also found a weapons lab in the basement filled with mortars, warhead missiles, thermobaric weapons and RPGs — some of which appeared to be finished and ready to go while others appeared to be in mid-production.
With Postal wire.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
