the demolition of the shafts near the Rantisi Hospital
(IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF located and destroyed three terror tunnel shafts belonging to the Hamas terror organization near the Rantisi Hospital and in the nearby High School; the tunnel shafts, dozens of meters deep, were connected by an underground network passing under the hospital and leading to the heart of Gaza City
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In recent weeks, IDF soldiers located three operational tunnel shafts near the hospital and searched them using a variety of means for mapping the tunnels' topography and the connections between the shafts.
another shaft found near the Rantisi Hospital
(IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
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The explosion of terrorist tunnels in the vicinity of the Rantisi Hospital in the Gaza Strip
(IDF)
This operation revealed that the shafts were connected by a wide underground network passing under the hospital, spanning several kilometers, and leading to strategic points in the heart of Gaza City. The tunnel in Rantisi was close to a school and led to another school in the area. It also served as a command and control center for conducting combat in the northern Gaza Strip and for carrying out terrorist attacks.
the area of the tunnel shaft and the tunnel interior that was found near the Rantisi Hospital
(IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
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Targeted detonation of terrorist tunnels in the vicinity of Rantisi Hospital in the Gaza Strip
(IDF)
The operational shaft located in a girls' school in the area was about 20 meters deep and included an elevator and electrical infrastructure. Following intelligence information gathered by the military intelligence and from Hamas captives, another operational shaft was located inside one of the homes used by one of the commanders of Hamas' naval unit in the Gaza Strip. In the tunnels' topography, junctions and blast-doors were located - designed to prevent IDF soldiers from breaking in and to protect against damage to the tunnel infrastructure. The tunnel infrastructure and shafts were destroyed.
IDF soldiers’ operations in the area of the Rantisi Hospital
(IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
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IDF operation uncovers tunnels connecting hospital and schools in Gaza
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson Unit)
"The exposure of the shafts near the hospital and school once again demonstrate Hamas' cynical use of the civilian population. Exposing Hamas' use of the residents of the Gaza Strip, including refugees and children, as human shields," the IDF said.
Additionally, during combat in the area of the hospital, soldiers carried out raids and scans of buildings in the hospital area, where significant terror infrastructure was found, including command and control centers, media equipment, maps, aids, and numerous weapons.
"Hamas hides inside, around and under civilian areas in Gaza. In schools, mosques and hospitals. We have the complex task of ensuring that our emphasis is on accuracy against Hamas, not the destruction Hamas seeks of the hospitals they’re operating from. We must dismantle Hamas’ infrastructure now, so they won’t have the capabilities or the confidence to carry out October 7th again, as they have declared they intend to do. The terror leaders of Hamas —are only interested in their own wealth and well-being and keep themselves far away from the destruction they caused," said the IDF spokesperson in a statement on Wednesday.