In the tunnels of this secret headquarters, the soldiers found the bodies of five hostages
The Israeli army has completed a major operation that began several weeks ago aimed at destroying the secret Hamas headquarters in the north of the Gaza Strip, located in a network of tunnels. She also found and recovered several hostage bodies in these underground passages.
The operations of the 551st Brigade of the 162nd Division to take control of the Jabalya Camp area were marked by fierce fighting, during which many terrorists were eliminated and hundreds of weapons were confiscated.
Working with the Yahalom engineering unit, the soldiers discovered a network of strategic tunnels in the area that served as the terrorist organization's headquarters. The site consisted of two levels – the first was about 10 meters deep and the second several tens of meters deep. This tunnel network with numerous routes was used to control combat and terrorist movements. Weapons, weapons manufacturing infrastructure and auxiliary caches were discovered. The network, which ran under a school and a hospital, was also connected to a well that led to the residence of Hamas Northern Brigade commander Ahmad Andur.
As part of key intelligence efforts, soldiers in these tunnels also located and recovered the bodies of five hostages kidnapped on October 7: those of Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Corporal Nik Beizer, and two civilians, Eden Zacharia and Elia Toledano.
The demolition of the Jabalya headquarters was part of an effort to attack Hamas' tunnel infrastructure and target its senior commanders and strategic capabilities, an IDF statement said. This day-by-day effort is now also being carried out in Khan Yunes and the south of the Gaza Strip, the army emphasized.