(BrightPress.org) – The Israeli military destroyed several tunnels underneath a hospital in Gaza City. Military representatives reported there was an extension of the tunnel under a neighboring girls’ school. They reported the tunnel’s destruction on Thursday, December 28th.
The Israeli military reported that the tunnel was made up of dozens of deep, interconnected passageways which had three major shafts to the surface. The tunnel network ran under Rantisi Hospital and into downtown Gaza City. There was a special elevator inside the girls’ school that allowed access.
Israeli military representatives said that the location under a school and a hospital showcases Hamas’ willingness to use the civilian population as a human shield.
The tunnels extended for several kilometers underneath the city and connected to a second school. Israeli military forces claimed the tunnel served as an operating base for Hamas militants and staging point for attacks.
Israeli personnel discovered a second shaft inside a residence used by a member of Hamas’ navy. The entrance was covered by a blast door and reinforced junctions to prevent a hostile entry or destruction of the tunnel from the outside.
Combat engineers with the Yahalom Unit and 14th (Reserve) Armored Brigade destroyed all the tunnels with explosives. The Israeli military released footage of the destruction along with a graphic showing where the tunnels were overlaid on a map of Gaza City.
Israeli military forces said they raided additional buildings in the area surrounding Rantisi Hospital and located numerous weapons supply caches, media equipment, first aid supplies, and maps.
The Israeli military has been operating in Gaza following the October 7th surprise attack by Hamas on Israeli outposts. Roughly 200 militants were killed along with 1200 Israeli citizens and internationals caught in the crossfire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was embroiled in controversy well before the recent bloodshed. He was attempting to change the Israeli Supreme Court structure, but those reforms were denied by the court as unconstitutional. Observers have suggested that the timing of the conflict was incredibly beneficial for Netanyahu’s administration and some have pointed out that Israel had advanced notice of the plot.
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