The war between Israel and Hamas is raging this Christmas Season, and the most recent updates indicate that an Israeli force destroyed the Hamas’ “Elite Quarter” and a vast network of connected underground tunnels in what is being seen as a major victory for the Israeli Defense Force.
The IDF has found plenty of tunnels that have been used by Hamas to create a secret underground connection to various points in the city. On Wednesday, they released statements indicating that a large number of tunnels were shut down in some of the most crucial areas of the region. They released a statement on X indicating as much.
The IDF wrote on their official X page, “The IDF has uncovered Hamas’ largest tunnel so far–only 400m from the Erez humanitarian crossing. This tunnel was utilized by Hamas to launch a deadly attack and destroy the crossing, a vital route for Gazans commuting to Israel for their livelihoods.”
Colonel Beni Aharon of the 401st Brigade spoke to the press about uncovering the tunnel network in what is a rare glimpse inside the operations taking place by Israel in Gaza. Speaking about Gaza city, he explained the extreme vastness of the tunnel system by saying, “This is a city that exists on two levels, one above ground and one underneath.”
According to Hamas, the tunnels were livable, with enough power and provisions to sustain a sizable for a long period of time. He said, “Hamas took enough generators and solar panels from civilians so that they could survive down there for months and even weeks.”
Another IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, was quoted by The Daily Wire talking about the same effort to eradicate the underground network. He said, “Today, we destroyed a strategic terror tunnel network in the Hamas Elite Quarter in the heart of Gaza City. This is a complex network of tunnels connecting hideout apartments to various facilities and bunkers of senior members of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
The impressive size and complexity of the tunnel system is yet another example of the years of preparation that have gone into this conflict. With such a massive effort being taken before the war to have tunnels connecting all of the strategically crucial points in the city, the pre-planning is being unraveled very quickly.
The IAF, speaking more about he war effort, explained, “For several weeks, the troops operated in Rimal, where ‘Palestine Square’ is located – an area surrounded by buildings that served as command-and-control centers, terror tunnel shafts, and strategic buildings belonging to the organization. The forces eliminated about 600 terrorists from the ground and the air and uncovered a large tunnel network that connects hideouts, bureaus, and leader’s apartments.”
This comes as a massive win for the Israeli war effort, as it begins to cripple yet another way of movement and supply that the Hamas forces once used to transport men and supplies freely. With the outing of the tunnels, Hamas now fights an even greater uphill battle against their better-armed and likely better-trained Israeli counterparts.
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