The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage Sunday showcasing their troops operating in one of Hamas’ main bases in the Gaza Strip and the massive arms cache captured therein.
The now-captured base was used to train Hamas forces for their Oct. 7 operation that ignited the current Israel-Hamas War, according to the IDF. (RELATED: Video Shows Gazan Cursing Out Hamas, Asking Israel To Wipe Them Out. Are The Tides Turning?)
“This is the Givati Brigade in action as they operated at the ‘Al-Qadsia’ compound, 1 of the main bases where Hamas terrorists trained for October 7, with models simulating entrance gates of Israeli kibbutzim, military bases and IDF armored vehicles. The base also contained the offices of senior Hamas officers like Mohammad Sinwar, rocket storage facilities and tunnel shafts leading to underground tunnel routes,” the IDF tweeted alongside a video of the compound.
Mohammad Sinwar is the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and a senior military official in his own right, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
🔴This is the Givati Brigade in action as they operated at the “Al-Qadsia” compound, 1 of the main bases where Hamas terrorists trained for October 7, with models simulating entrance gates of Israeli kibbutzim, military bases and IDF armored vehicles.
The base also contained the… pic.twitter.com/ifEq2JPSKj
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 4, 2024
The video emphasized the massive tunnel infrastructure of the base, the raid on a senior Hamas member’s office and the major weapons stash found by the IDF that included grenades, booby traps, anti-tank devices, rifles and a red-tipped missile.
“The Givati Brigade combat team raided the flagship position and training center used by the Khan Yunis Brigade and destroyed it. This is a very significant compound, where many weapons were found. In addition, the brigade is operating resolutely in western Khan Yunis and is succeeding in driving the terrorists out of their hiding places every day,” Givati Brigade commander Lt. Col. Liron Bitito said, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
The battle of Khan Yunis is a fierce one. Khan Yunis is one of Hamas’ remaining strongholds in the Gaza Strip and rumored to be the place where Yahya Sinwar and other senior Hamas officials are hiding. Since the war’s inception, the IDF has destroyed more than half of Hamas’ manpower and has vanquished 18 of their 24 battalions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, the Times of Israel reported.