Extensive tunnel network – where Hamas command headquarters is located in northern Gaza. (IDF video screenshot)
The IDF said in a statement that the recently destroyed Hamas command center was linked to an apartment once used by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The attack on Hamas’ command center and complex network of tunnels came as Israel gained control of territories in northern Gaza, where it also defeated Hamas battalions.
This provides additional opportunities for Israel to further explore and investigate Hamas’s infrastructure. In a statement on December 29, the IDF said that the 14th Reserve Brigade participated in identifying and destroying the command center and complex tunnel network of Hamas in Northern Gaza. The IDF used its elite Yahalom combat engineers to inspect the apartment once used by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and discovered a tunnel.
“The soldiers inspected the tunnel shaft and arrived at a key tunnel apparently used by senior officials of both the political and military wings of Hamas,” the IDF said.
Footage released by the IDF shows the investigation of the tunnels. The tunnels are about 18 meters deep and have their own drainage system so people can live in them for long periods of time.
“The tunnel was built to be able to stay inside and conduct combat for a long time,” the IDF said. Footage of the recently destroyed tunnel complex also shows it is located near the Mediterranean Sea, north of Gaza port.
In southern Gaza, the IDF also continued to expand its operations. The force expanded its operations this week from Khan Yunis to areas in central Gaza around Al Bureij.
Israel also attacked the Hezbollah armed group on the northern front from December 25 to 28. The IDF said it only attacked Hezbollah groups that launched anti-tank missiles at the IDF while Israeli warplanes conducted major strikes against other Hezbollah locations. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari admitted to conducting attacks in Lebanon against Hezbollah during an evening briefing on December 29. Earlier, sirens sounded in more than a dozen northern Israeli communities throughout the day, due to continuous attacks by Hezbollah. On the evening of December 29, sirens also sounded in the Golan near the Syrian border.
