Israel identifies "center of power" in tunnel systems
While uncovering the tunnel systems used by the terrorist Hamas for decades, the Israeli army says it has discovered a particularly important section. Hamas has meanwhile announced that the number of deaths on the Palestinian side has continued to rise.
The Israeli military has published new findings on the tunnel system used by the Islamist Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. According to the army, Palestine Square in the center of the city of Gaza plays a decisive role. From there, "offices and apartments of the political and military Hamas leadership" are said to have been accessible underground.
Access to the tunnels was via spiral staircases and an elevator that led up to 20 meters underground. The tunnels were equipped with electricity, water pipes, surveillance cameras and heavy blast doors. "This complex, both above and below ground, was a center of power for the military and political wing of Hamas," said an army spokesman. The information is difficult to verify independently. In recent weeks, a discrepancy between the Israeli military's accounts and the published evidence has been criticized several times.
Elevators and stairs for the descent
Following the takeover of an area in the city of Gaza, further details of the "strategic tunnel route" were uncovered, according to the army. In addition to stairs, elevators also made it possible to descend into the underground system. In some cases, food, water and electrical infrastructure was found. "In this way, Hamas terrorists were able to flee as well as remain in their hiding places for longer periods of time," it said. The network of tunnels is said to have been used by the organization's high-ranking officials, Ismail Haniya, Jihia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and others, "to control Hamas' operational activities".
According to media reports, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Sinwar, and the head of Hamas' military wing, Deif, left the northern Gaza Strip during the war. They are reportedly believed to be in the city of Chan Junis in the south of the coastal area. Hanija, chairman of the Hamas politburo, has been living with his family in Qatar for years.
Hamas: More than 20,000 dead in the Gaza Strip
Hamas meanwhile announced that at least 20,000 Palestinians had been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. These include 8,000 minors and 6,200 women, according to the terrorist organization's information office. These figures are also difficult to verify independently. The Hamas-controlled health authority, whose figures are published almost daily and are considered reliable by several aid organizations, had not yet announced any new figures of its own on Wednesday. The day before, the authority had given the number of Palestinians killed as 19,667. Around a week ago, the Israeli army announced that it had killed 7,000 Hamas terrorists to date. If one believes the claims made by two Israeli officers at the beginning of December, according to which two civilians were killed for every terrorist, the figure of 20,000 can be considered realistic.
This ratio is "not good", one of the two military representatives, who did not wish to be named, used in an interview with journalists. However, the exploitation of civilians as human shields is part of Hamas' "basic strategy".
The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with Gaza. Images of massacres at a music festival, for example, and the desecration of corpses and lifeless-looking bodies went around the world. More than 1200 people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
The discovery of the tunnel system in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army has revealed that Hamas utilized these tunnels extensively, with a crucial hub located at Palestine Square. This area allegedly provided access to the offices and residences of Hamas' political and military leadership, serving as a significant center of power.
Despite the ongoing conflict and wars in the region, Hamas has reported a staggering death toll in the Gaza Strip, claiming over 20,000 Palestinians, including 8,000 minors and 6,200 women, have been killed since the commencement of the war.
Source: www.ntv.de
