From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 21, 2023
IDF says it demolished Gaza City tunnel network where Sinwar and Deif’s offices were located
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF has demolished a major Hamas tunnel network hidden under Gaza City’s Palestine Square.
On Tuesday, the IDF gave the media, including The Times of Israel, a tour of the square and the entrances to the tunnels.
According to the IDF, Hamas’s senior officials hid underground in the tunnel network when the terror group launched the October 7 onslaught on southern Israel.
The underground network connected to the homes, offices and hideout apartments of senior Hamas officials, including Muhammad Deif, the elusive leader of the terror group’s military wing, and Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas official in Gaza.
The IDF scanned inside the tunnels and obtained intelligence from them in recent days.
The military says the demolition of the tunnels was carried out in a controlled manner by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and the 401st Armored Brigade.
The IDF's elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and the 401st Armored Brigade have demolished the major Hamas tunnel network hidden under Gaza City’s Palestine Square, where the terror group's top officials hid on October 7. pic.twitter.com/USy0jwzhn8
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 21, 2023
The Times of Israel Community.