Israeli forces raided the holiday home of several senior Hamas commanders in southern Gaza – and discovered a secret tunnel hidden under a cot in the northern strip, officials said Sunday.
Soldiers with the Israel Defense Forces’ 7th Armored Brigade entered the offices and private residences of top Hamas officials — including terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the Oct. 7 massacre — as troops pushed deeper into Khan Younis, the largest southern Gaza enclave. hub, The Times of Israel reported.
“We found weapons, tunnels in the holiday home of senior Hamas officials,” IDF Colonel Elad Tzuri said of his forces. “We saw a lot of tunnel shafts here, still facing the enemy but gaining operational control of the area.”
One of the vacation homes hit belonged to Sinwar, whose home was surrounded by the IDF earlier this month during the fiercest fighting southern Gaza has seen since the war began.
Sinwar has not been located at either his residence or his holiday home, with Israeli officials believing he is hiding somewhere in Gaza’s vast 300-mile underground tunnel system.
The IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade stormed the Gaza leadership’s office and holiday home in Khan Younis. Israeli IDF forces have taken out “multiple terrorists” through tank fire during the raid. IDF
The Hamas leader is believed to be the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre that saw more than 1,200 people killed in Israel.
Israel’s latest operation in Khan Younis saw IDF forces find about 30 tunnel shafts scattered throughout the city, with Israeli forces killing “many terrorists” through tank fire, the Jewish state said.
Another newly discovered tunnel hidden under the crib in a house in northern Gaza, Israel said.
The IDF said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was still in hiding after it surrounded his home and raided his holiday home. AP
IDF forces also successfully attacked dozens of missile launch sites and Hamas observation posts.
Along with the raid on the southern hub, the IDF took out an outpost belonging to Hamas’s Deir al-Balah battalion, also obtaining intelligence material, the Israeli military said.
Israeli forces also raided the home of a member of Hamas’ elite Nukhba force, seizing weapons and equipment, the IDF added.
Soldiers of the 931st Battalion of the Nahal Infantry Brigade have discovered a Hamas tunnel hidden under a cot in a house in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, the IDF said.
In footage published by the IDF, a company commander in the 931st Battalion gave a tour in English… pic.twitter.com/7mbQA2tArB
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Tzuri said on Sunday that his forces had now reached the main square in Bani Suheila and had managed to capture “the heart of Khan Younis.”
The IDF’s latest advance comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Saturday that the war will continue until all of Hamas is eliminated.
“The war must continue until victory, despite international pressure and despite the unbearable cost that war takes from us in our fallen sons and daughters,” Netanyahu said.
The IDF operates in the “heart of Khan Younis,” the largest city in southern Gaza. The IDF raid found about 30 tunnel shafts located next to Hamas offices and vacation homes. IDF
It was the prime minister’s first speech since IDF forces mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during an operation in Gaza.
Netanyahu also appeared to suggest that a new round of negotiations was underway with Hamas and Qatar to free the remaining hostages still being held in Gaza. It was reported on Saturday that the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency was meeting with Qatari officials to discuss a possible new hostage deal with Hamas.
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