At least 11 Hamas operatives killed in tunnels under northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, IDF says

In a recent operation in Beit Hanoun in the far north of the Gaza Strip, the IDF and Shin Bet say at least 11 Hamas operatives were killed inside the terror group’s tunnels.

According to a joint statement, in recent weeks, the military and Shin Bet have continued to operate in Beit Hanoun to demolish remaining Hamas infrastructure, including tunnels, and to eliminate “remnants of the [Beit Hanoun] battalion’s terrorists.”

In August, the IDF declared that Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion had been defeated after the final remaining gunmen there were either killed or surrendered to troops. From today’s announcement, it appears that several operatives either returned to the area or were previously undiscovered.

The IDF says troops of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, alongside Shin Bet forces, set out for an operation last week to locate the Hamas operatives who were still in Beit Hanoun. The operation focused on the kasbah, or fortified quarter of Beit Hanoun, following indications that the operatives were holed up there, the army says.

As part of the operation, the IDF says the ground troops directed an Israeli Air Force drone to strike several sites in Beit Hanoun, including tunnel shafts and a “significant” underground route.

The IDF says that so far, the bodies of 11 Hamas operatives have been discovered inside the tunnels, including field commanders.