Israel Claims to Find a Network of Tunnels Under the Houses of Hamas Leaders: There are CCTVs to Anti-Explosion Doors

JAKARTA - The Israeli military on Wednesday announced the discovery of a network of tunnels stretching deep beneath properties it said belonged to Yahya Sinwar and other senior officials of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The tunnel was discovered as troops secured the downtown area in recent days, spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told reporters.

Accessed via a spiral staircase and a lift up to 20 meters (66 feet) underground, the tunnel is equipped with electricity, plumbing, surveillance cameras and explosion-proof doors, according to images the military shared with journalists.

"This complex, both above and below ground, is the center of power for Hamas' military and political wings," said Lerner, reported by Reuters, December 21.

The tunnels were used by senior Hamas officials including Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Muhammad Deif to direct operations and to "protect daily movement" through the heart of Gaza City, the military said in a statement.

It is known that Israel has long accused the militant group of deliberately placing tunnels and other military infrastructure between civilians who they used as human shields.

Hamas, which rejects the accusations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Sinwar and Deif are believed to be the masterminds behind the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people. That sparked an Israeli offensive on Gaza that has killed around 20,000 people and forced most of the 2.3 million residents to flee their homes.

Israel aims to destroy Hamas and rescue more than 130 people who are still being held hostage by the Palestinian militant group.

So far, Israel has not found a Hamas leader, even though it has controlled several areas of Gaza. Israel's intense air and ground campaign has injured more than 50,000 people and destroyed much of the coastal region.

Earlier this week, Israel said it discovered a huge concrete and steel tunnel designed to carry carloads of militant fighters from Gaza to the border.

Hamas itself has long boasted of its tunnel network hundreds of kilometers long. Some of the holes were up to 80 meters deep and were described by one freed hostage as "spider webs".

The group's tunnels beneath its 360 square km sandy coastline and borders include raiding, smuggling, storage and operational pits, Western and Middle Eastern sources familiar with the matter said.