Israel reveals tunnel beneath Gaza hospital the place it says physique of Hamas army chief was discovered
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza — The Israeli military stated Sunday that it had retrieved the physique of Hamas’ army chief Mohammed Sinwar in an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza, following a focused operation final month.
One other senior Hamas chief, Mohammad Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, was additionally discovered lifeless on the scene together with quite a few different militants, who’re nonetheless being recognized, stated IDF spokesperson Brigadier Basic Effie Defrin.
Israeli forces gave a small group of international reporters a tour of the tunnel that had been uncovered beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, which Defrin stated was a significant command and management compound for Hamas.
“That is one other instance of the cynical use by Hamas, utilizing civilians as human shields, utilizing civilian infrastructure, hospitals, time and again,” Defrin stated.
“We discovered beneath the hospital, proper beneath the emergency room, a compound of some rooms. In certainly one of them we discovered, we killed Mohammed Sinwar,” he stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu introduced Sinwar’s loss of life final month, however Defrin stated they now had his DNA which proved past doubt it was him.
Hamas has not commented on studies of the loss of life of both Sinwar or Shabana.
Sinwar was the youthful brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian militant group’s deceased chief and mastermind of the October 2023 terrorist assault on Israel that killed 1,200 folks in keeping with Israeli tallies, and which triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Shabana was certainly one of Hamas’s most senior and battle-hardened commanders in southern Gaza. He performed a central position in establishing the community of tunnels beneath the southern metropolis of Rafah, which have been used for ambushes and cross-border raids.
The drive to Khan Younis in Israeli army autos confirmed widespread devastation, with numerous buildings mendacity in ruins, and piles of rubble collected on the roadside.
The Israeli army has raided or besieged quite a few hospitals throughout the battle, alleging that Hamas makes use of them to hide fighters and orchestrate operations — a cost Hamas has repeatedly denied. Whereas Israel has introduced proof in sure instances, a few of its assertions stay unverified.
Defrin stated the military had fastidiously deliberate the strike close to the European Hospital so as to not harm it.
A big trench dug in entrance of the Emergency Room entrance led right down to a gap within the claustrophobic, concrete tunnel that was used as a hideaway by Hamas fighters, the military stated.
Through the search of the location, Israeli forces recovered weapon stockpiles, ammunition, money and paperwork that at the moment are being reviewed for intelligence worth.
“We’ll dismantle Hamas as a result of we can not dwell with this terror group proper in our yard, proper throughout our border,” Defrin stated.
Greater than 54,000 Palestinians have died throughout the ongoing Israeli assault, in keeping with Gaza well being authorities. The U.N. has warned that the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants is prone to famine.