IDF uncovers massive tunnel network under Gaza’s Beit Hanun
Thousands of structures served as weapons storage facilities and command centers. Armed terrorists were operating from inside a primary school, and the tunnel network ran beneath civilian homes.
IDF On Thursday, the entire underground terrorist network under the city of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza was uncovered.
According to the IDF, “The city of Beit Hanoun is a central terrorist stronghold of Hamas in Gaza… Hamas has built an extensive network of tunnels under civilian homes.”
The Israeli military later stated: “Above ground: Thousands of structures that served as weapons storage facilities, firing positions and command centers for terrorists. Additionally, armed terrorists were operating from within an elementary school, and beneath it was a tunnel shaft leading to an underground tunnel.”
By July, the last vestiges of Hamas forces in Beit Hanoun had been killed or surrendered, and almost the entire city had been razed during multiple clashes dating back to October 2023.
During a visit to a nearby secret IDF position overlooking Beit Hanun, dubbed “Israel”, the Jerusalem Post saw the full extent of the destruction, and aspects of the tunnel warfare and tactics were described to the Post from the position’s strategic overview vantage point.
The position was designed to both project force forward and serve as an additional forward line of defense to prevent a possible future invasion from reaching Israel’s vicinity.
This location, along with two other nearby positions, provided a unique strategic elevated view of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Jabalya, and Gaza City in the distance.
Beit Hanun was almost completely destroyed during numerous conflicts.
At the professional military level, IDF Lieutenant-Colonel. (pic.) 969th Battalion Commander “T”, to mail In July, he said he was proud of the hard work his unit had put in to establish the new position and that it was still focused on targeting Hamas terrorists in Beit Hanoun.
Battalion 969 is part of the Northern Gaza Brigade and Division 99, led by Brigadier General. Barak Hiram.
T rejected any terminology suggesting that these positions were part of Israel’s projected borders following the IDF’s withdrawal from deeper parts of Gaza, and expressed hope that the political echelon would support his battalion holding this position for the foreseeable future.
It is unclear why the IDF announced its findings regarding Beit Hanoun in mid-November, six weeks after the war ended.
It is possible that the new statement is part of efforts to rally world public opinion behind future moves to disarm Hamas.
