Israel Takes Control of Massive Weapons Complex Below Densely Populated Gaza Area

Jerusalem, 8 January, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli soldiers took control of Hamas’s Bureij Battalion headquarters which included a massive underground weapons manufacturing facility — the largest such site found since the beginning of the war, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday night.

The complex was located in and beneath the densely populated area of Bureij in central Gaza.

Soldiers of the IDF’s 188th and Golani brigades uncovered several tunnel shafts reaching a depth of approximately 30 meters and, following precise intelligence, exposed a terrorist stronghold used to manufacture weapons.

The soldiers also located many other underground production facilities used for the manufacturing of long-range rockets, explosives and accuracy enhancers for Hamas’s mortar shells, light weapons and UAVs. Additionally, the forces killed dozens of terrorists in the area.

In the area, soldiers found components for long-range rockets that could be fired from the Gaza Strip as far as northern Israel, as well as mortar shells, explosives and ammunition. Some of the rockets produced have a range of 100 km.

The IDF said the area was connected by underground tunnel shafts to wider tunnel network used to transport weapons to Hamas battalions throughout  Gaza.

Photos and videos released by the military showed rocket components, molds for making parts, an underground elevator shaft, and assorted weapons.

Since the beginning of the war, Hamas has indiscriminately fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israel. Iran is known to provide support and know-how to help Hamas produce its own rockets.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The number of men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners held captive in Gaza by Hamas is now believed to be 129. Other people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.