Israeli soldiers raided the vacation homes of several senior Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday.
The IDF also seized the office of the commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, as well as underground and terror infrastructure.
Also captured was the main square of Bani Suheila, a suburb of Khan Yunis.
The IDF said many terrorists have been killed and some 30 tunnel shafts exposed in the past week of fighting. In addition, dozens of Hamas anti-tank positions and observation posts were destroyed, and weapons and intelligence material seized.
Israeli forces also raided the Hamas outpost of the “Deir al-Balah” battalion, confiscating intelligence material and military training books.
Khan Yunis is the second largest city in the Strip and is considered the capital of Gaza’s southern district.
It is also regarded as a personal stronghold of Sinwar, whose family lives there. Since the war began, the IDF has eliminated two members of the Hamas ruling politburo as well as associates of Sinwar, who live in Khan Yunis.
לוחמי צה"ל ממשיכים לפעול ברצועת עזה; כ-200 מטרות הותקפו ביממה האחרונה
לוחמי חטיבת הצנחנים ביצעו פשיטה על דירה מבצעית במרחב שג'עייה, במהלך הפשיטה נמצאו אמצעי לחימה, מטענים, קלאצ'ים, מטענים ורימונים. בנוסף, נמצא פיר התקפי שאורכו למעלה מ-15 מטר>> pic.twitter.com/Zgfq1pJHt7
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 17, 2023
Meanwhile, soldiers discovered a tunnel shaft underneath a baby’s bed in a children’s room in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday.
The IDF described the find as “a strategic shaft, with stairs built into it.”
A video released by the military showed a white crib next to a hole in the floor with descending spiral steps.
“Hamas-ISIS uses children’s rooms, uses baby’s cots, to hide what is used for terror, for murder and for slaughter,” said an officer identified as Maj. Alon.
Combat engineers destroyed the shaft.
צה"ל פרסם בתקשורת הבינלאומית כי במסגרת הלחימה בג׳באליה, ביצעו לוחמי צוות הקרב של חטיבת הנח״ל סריקות במרחב. באחת הסריקות, הלוחמים איתרו בתוך חדר הילדים הממוקם במרתף המבנה, פיר מנהרה מבצעי>> pic.twitter.com/U65Winw4Ct
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 17, 2023
Israeli ground troops conducted a targeted raid on an operational center in the area of Shejaiya, where weapons, explosive devices, AK-47s and grenades were found. The soldiers also located a tunnel shaft over 15 meters in length from which Hamas terrorists had previously carried out attacks against troops. The troops directed an aircraft to strike the shaft.
During an additional incident, IDF forces destroyed a weapons storage facility located inside the residence of a Hamas terrorist operative.
Soldiers also identified a squad of seven terrorists in the area of Khan Yunis, directing an airstrike on their location.
Furthermore, IDF ground troops found rocket parts in a structure near an UNRWA school. Three tunnel shafts were identified near the school.
