The IDF on Thursday revealed the full underground terror network under the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanun.
According to the IDF, “The city of Beit Hanun is a central Hamas terror stronghold in Gaza... Beneath civilian homes, Hamas built an extensive tunnel network.”
Next, the Israeli military stated that, “Above ground: Thousands of structures served as weapons storage facilities, firing positions, and command centers for terrorists. Additionally, armed terrorists operated from inside an elementary school, and beneath it a tunnel shaft led to an underground tunnel.”
By July, the last traces of Hamas’s forces in Beit Hanun had been killed or surrendered, and almost the entire city had been destroyed during the multiple rounds of fighting there dating back to October 2023.
During a visit to a secret IDF position nearby with a view of Beit Hanun, dubbed “Israela,” The Jerusalem Post saw the full extent of the destruction, and aspects of the tunnel warfare and tactics were described to the Post from the position’s strategic overview lookout point.
The position was designed both to project power forward and also to serve as an additional forward defense line to prevent any future potential invasion from getting anywhere near residential Israel.
Along with two other nearby positions, this position gave a unique strategic high-ground view of Beit Hanun, Beit Lahiya, Jabalya, and, in the distance, Gaza City.
Beit Hanun was almost entirely destroyed during multiple rounds of fighting
At a professional military level, IDF Lt.-Col. (res.) Battalion 969 Commander “T” told the Post in July that he was proud of the hard work that his unit had invested in building the new position and is still focused on targeting Hamas terrorists in Beit Hanun.
Battalion 969 is part of the northern Gaza brigade and Division 99, led by Brig.-Gen. Barak Hiram.
T declined any terminology suggesting the position is part of an anticipated Israeli perimeter following an IDF withdrawal from deeper parts of Gaza and expressed hope that the political echelon would support his battalion holding the position for the foreseeable future.
It is unclear why the IDF has revealed its findings regarding Beit Hanun in mid-November, six weeks after the war seems to have ended.
It is possible that the new revelation is part of efforts to rally world public opinion behind moves to disarm Hamas in the future.