IDF gains control of second key Hamas intel center in northern Gaza

The IDF has completed its takeover of the second most important Hamas intelligence center in northern Gaza, as it finishes ousting the terror group from its last spot in Daraj-Tuffah.

Fighting over the area has gone on for weeks, with soldiers Yaron Eliezer Chnitz, Efrayim Yachman, and Itai Boton all falling in battle last week.

Those units involved included Brigade 401 of Division 162, including Shaldag special forces, Yahalom, Engineering Battalion 601 and Battalion 52.

After the Hamas intelligence center found near the Gaza City military quarter, this intelligence center is considered the most important in northern Gaza, including 37 structures, a vast tunnel network dropping 20 meters underground, three tunnel elevators, extensive stairs, and blast doors.

Wide array of communications platforms 

Moreover, the complex included a diverse array of communications platforms which allowed directing the war with Hamas forces both in northern and southern Gaza as opposed to other command center positions focused merely on a specific more narrow area.

In addition, the Hamas fighting to keep the IDF away from the intelligence center was far more extensive and extended than for a regular less important command center.

Multiple rounds of Hamas defenders with higher than normal numbers of more advanced anti-tanks, mortars and other weapons were deployed against the IDF by Hamas.

Also, mid-battle, Hamas altered its tactics in a coordinated fashion, including sending soldiers to run along rooftops to make it harder for the IDF to spot and battle them.

The battle went on underground where Hamas had a variety of rooms for conducting different aspects of war and intelligence collection.

The tunnel network was also connected to a nearby mosque, where Hamas held meetings, to a nearby school, where massive arms were found, including mixed in with boxes of Lego toys, and was hooked into a tunnel network that traveled around 1.5 kilometers to Rantisi Hospital.

In addition, the IDF succeeded in arresting and taking alive the main Hamas operative responsible for digging and directing the digging of the tunnel network connected to the intelligence center.

This digger has provided extensive intelligence to the IDF which it still will not yet share with the media.

Recovery of dead bodies 

During the various battles, the partial remains of a soldier who was killed on October 7, and whose earlier partial remains had already been buried, were also recovered.

The IDF did not specify whether the findings were helping in finding or tracking Hamas's top leaders who have evaded capture for nearly three months, nor any specific help with locating the remaining approximately 130 hostages held by Hamas, though the IDF made some vague statements about obtaining intelligence.