JERUSALEM: Israel released footage on Sunday showcasing what it claims to be a tunnel constructed by Palestinian operatives beneath Gaza’s largest hospital, a focal point in Israel’s efforts against Hamas during the ongoing seven-week conflict. While Hamas acknowledges having an extensive network of secret tunnels in the Gaza Strip, it denies their existence in civilian structures such as hospitals.
Providing an update on operations at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Israeli military reported that its engineers uncovered a 10-meter deep tunnel stretching 55 meters to a blast-proof door.
“This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organization to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas,” stated the military, accompanied by video footage revealing a narrow passage with arched concrete roofing, concluding at a gray door.
The military statement did not disclose what lay beyond the door, but it revealed that the tunnel had been accessed through a shaft found in a shed within the Shifa compound containing munitions.