A 2019 Hamas 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 handbook contains instructions for Hamas terrorists 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 NYT quoted a passage in the handbook as stating.
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 NYT, Hamas head Yahya Sinwar approved in 2023 the sum of $225,000 to place blast doors in the tunnels.
Hamas’s terror tunnels
Hamas constructed the tunnel network underneath Gaza, also dubbed the “Hamas metro,” over many years.
The IDF has described it as an underground city used to transfer 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 these subterranean networks, which often run through large expanses. In late August, the IDF said it had demolished 80% of Hamas’s tunnels in the Rafah area of Gaza.
Many of the 101 hostages detained in Gaza captivity are believed to be held within the Hamas tunnels.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this article.
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