Inside UNRWA Facilities: Weapons and Underground Hamas Intelligence Asset

Over the last two weeks, IDF and ISA forces have been conducting a division-level targeted raid on terror targets in northern and central Gaza.

The forces operated in the areas of Shati and Tel al-Hawa in northern Gaza. Approximately 120 Hamas terrorists were killed and 20 terrorist infrastructure sites were destroyed as part of the operation.

Following ISA intelligence, the forces arrived at a tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school. The shaft led to an underground terror tunnel that served as a significant asset of Hamas' military intelligence and passed under the building that serves as UNRWA's main headquarters in the Gaza Strip.

Infographic showing the underground route passing between UNRWA infrastructure

The tunnel was 700 meters long and 18 meters deep and contained several blast doors. A wide variety of intelligence assets were seized during the operation. The newly-found intelligence will allow the forces to operate against additional Hamas targets. The dismantling of the tunnel weakens Hamas' intelligence capabilities.

The forces located electrical infrastructure inside the tunnel connected to UNRWA's main headquarters, under which the underground tunnel was located, indicating that UNRWA's facilities supplied the tunnel with electricity.

Inside the underground tunnel route that passes under an UNRWA funded school

Following these findings and based on preliminary ISA intelligence, the forces conducted a targeted raid on UNRWA’s central headquarters, which contains offices for various humanitarian and international organizations. Large quantities of weapons were found inside the rooms of the building, including rifles, ammunition, grenades and explosives. Intelligence and documents discovered in the offices of UNRWA officials confirmed that the offices had in fact also been used by Hamas terrorists.

Attached is drone footage of the tunnel located underneath an UNRWA compound: 



Weapons found in an UNRWA building, explained by the Commander of the 401st Brigade Combat Team:



Sync by a Shayetet 13 Company Commander, CDR A.: 



Sync by the Commander of the 52nd Battalion, LTC Daniel: 



Footage of the 401st Brigade during the operation: 



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