Posted on 12/20/23
| News Source: JPost
The IDF has seized control of a secret underground web of tunnels which both served as a bunker for the top Hamas leadership and as a transportation route to above-ground sites in and around Palestine Square and in Gaza City.
“This is a city that exists on two levels, one above ground and one underneath,” Commander of the 401st Brigade, Colonel Beni Aharon told reporters, and the battle for it also takes place in both arenas.
Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif used this network to manage the organization’s operation and movement through the heart of Gaza City, said the army, which has nicknamed the area “Commander’s Square.”
They could also travel around through the tunnels, hide for a prolonged period if needed, or escape, the army explained.
“Hamas took enough generators and solar panels from civilians so that they could survive down there for months and even weeks,” Aharon said.
The Square was located between a high-class residential area, that includes a college, a hotel, a school for the deaf, and a fancy bridal shop.