IDF: Troops uncovered, destroyed Hamas underground weapons manufacturing plant on coast of central Gaza

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

This image released by the IDF on January 4, 2024, shows the entrance to a tunnel network on the coast of central Gaza. (Israel Defense Forces)
This image released by the IDF on January 4, 2024, shows the entrance to a tunnel network on the coast of central Gaza. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says troops have uncovered and destroyed a Hamas underground weapons manufacturing plant on the coast of central Gaza.

Over the past week, troops of the 179th Armored Brigade, the Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit, and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit raided a Hamas compound, where they located several tunnel shafts, the IDF says.

The tunnel shafts led to an underground network spanning hundreds of meters, according to the IDF, which adds that troops located a cache of weapons, including mortars, grenades and RPGs.

Nearby, several more tunnel shafts were found by Shayetet 13 and Yahalom forces, which led to another underground network of branching tunnels, the IDF says.

The IDF says the tunnels featured blast doors, and behind them, the troops found a weapons manufacturing plant. The underground room had machinery, cooling fans, explosive materials and rocket fuel.

The tunnels were later destroyed by combat engineers.

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