IDF says troops destroyed large Hamas underground arms manufacturing plant in central Gaza

A large underground weapons manufacturing plant operated by Hamas was recently located and demolished by troops in the central Gaza Strip, the IDF announces.

Troops with the 252nd Division located the tunnel network, where Hamas had previously manufactured weapons.

The site was located “in the heart of a civilian population,” near Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, the IDF says.

In the tunnel, the IDF says troops found lathes, and hundreds of components used to build rockets, mortars, grenades, and diving equipment, the latter of which would have been used by Hamas terrorists to infiltrate into Israel via the sea.

The inside of a Hamas weapons manufacturing tunnel, found in the central Gaza Strip, in a handout image published by the IDF on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Also in the tunnel, the IDF says it found several rooms where Hamas operatives could reside for long periods. The rooms included kitchens, bedrooms, and offices.

Combat engineers mapped out the tunnel system, before demolishing it.

The IDF says that by demolishing the tunnel and seizing the equipment, it “foiled another attempt by the Hamas terror organization to rearm.”