Hamas tunnel handbook reveals terror group's preparation for underground combat - NYT

A 2019 handbook unearthed by IDF troops in the Gaza Strip illustrates how Hamas prepared itself for underground operations in Gaza, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The text of the Hamas handbook contains instructions on how to operate within the underground tunnels, how to hide the entrances to the networks, and how to find them, the report noted.

“While moving in the dark inside the tunnel, the fighter needs night-vision goggles equipped with infrared,” the Times quoted from the handbook.

An additional excerpt notifies terrorists on how to operate a weapon within the underground networks, explaining, “This type of shooting is effective because the tunnel is narrow, so the shots are aimed at the kill zones in the upper part of the human body.”

According to the Times, Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar approved an expenditure of $225,000 last year to place blast doors in the tunnels.

Hamas's terror tunnels

The IDF has dubbed the tunnel network underneath Gaza, constructed over many years, as the “Hamas metro”.

Within what the IDF has described as an underground city Hamas transferred rockets and other weapons. Within these spaces, the military has also located bunkers, Hamas command centers, living areas, and electrical infrastructure.

According to the IDF, building a half-kilometer-long tunnel costs $500,000.

Throughout the Israel-Hamas war, the IDF has been operating to destroy the tunnels, several hundred kilometers in length. In late August, the IDF said it had demolished 80% of the tunnels in the Rafah area of southern Gaza. Many of the remaining 101 hostages detained in Gaza captivity are believed to be inside the tunnels. 

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this article.