At first, it looked like just another entrance shaft to another Hamas tunnel, one more among the thousands uncovered by Israeli troops since their ground offensive into Gaza began on October 27.

Yet when Israeli combat engineers arrived to investigate, they discovered a huge underground labyrinth that included a Hamas command center used by the architect of the terrorist offensive on October 7, Yahya Sinwar. He is the senior Hamas governing official in Gaza. 

The entry shaft descended to a depth of 65 feet from the basement of an apartment building adjacent to one of Sinwar’s known safehouses in Gaza City. It connected to a warren of tunnels running the length of more than two football fields beneath the residential neighborhood.

Wary of boobytraps and ambushes, combat engineers from the IDF’s elite Yahalom unit used robots and other “technological means” to clear the tunnel system. They found a ventilation system and electric power lines designed to enable Hamas commanders to remain in hiding underground for extended periods. The subterranean facility also included Islamic prayer rooms, kitchen areas, and toilet facilities with running water.

Hamas terrorists and commanders fled the area before the arrival of Israeli troops. After combing the facility for actionable intelligence, IDF combat engineers set about preparing it for demolition. They seeded the tunnels with scores of anti-tank mines linked by explosive det cord.

After those explosives were detonated, several residential buildings in the neighborhood collapsed because their foundations had been compromised by the Hamas tunnels dug beneath them.