ISRAEL has released footage they allege shows the entrance to a vast Hamas tunnel network beneath Gaza’s largest hospital.
The video taken with a remote camera appears to show a spiral staircase plunging down around 30 feet before leading to a massive 180 foot “fortified” tunnel.
Israeli forces say the discovery is smoking gun evidence of the allegation that Hamas has a sprawling command centre beneath al-Shifa hospital.
As well as the footage, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) have also claimed they have “proof” that hostages were taken to hospital following the initial October 7 attack.
In footage exposed with the assistance of the ISA, Hamas terrorists can be seen on October 7 forcibly transporting hostages, a Nepalese civilian and a Thai civilian, who were kidnapped from Israeli territory.
IDF vehicles stolen during the murderous massacre can also be seen inside the Shifa Hospital area.
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Footage shows one of the hostages injured and being carried on a hospital bed while the other is walking.
The IDF claims that these findings “prove” that the Hamas terrorist organisation used the Shifa Hospital complex on the day of the massacre as terrorist infrastructure.
Footage released today of the tunnels shows a deep staircase leading to the entrance of the tunnel shaft, which consists of various defence means including a blast-proof door and a firing hole.
“This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organisation to block Israeli forces from entering the command centres and the underground assets belonging to Hamas,” the IDF said.
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The tunnel shaft was uncovered in the area of the hospital underneath a shed alongside a vehicle containing numerous weapons including RPGs, explosives, and Kalashnikov rifles.
The new footage show that the tunnel shaft has a winding staircase from around three meters deep, continuing down for another seven meters until it reaches part of the tunnel network.
The tunnel continues for five meters, before turning to the right and continuing for another 50 meters.
Mark Regev, a senior advisor to Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said troops had also found a Hamas command and control room at the hospital.
He added: “Once again we have to show – and we still will, it’s just a matter of time – the connection between the tunnel network and the hospital.”
Regev said there were fears of booby traps awaiting IDF forces in the tunnels underground, and that the IDF would have conclusive evidence in the next few days.
IDF and ISA forces are continuing to uncover the route of the tunnel.
The footage was filmed inside the tunnel and was recorded using two separate technological assets.
Aerial photos of the Shifa Hospital complex near Hamas terrorist infrastructure locations found, including explosive devices in the physical therapy ward, an interrogation room in the cardiology ward, weapons and intelligence in the MRI centre, and a tunnel shaft that was located near the Qatari Building of the hospital.
“The findings clearly prove that numerous buildings in the hospital’s complex are used by Hamas as cover for terrorist infrastructure and activities,” the IDF said.
“This is further evidence of the cynical manner Hamas uses the residents of the Gaza Strip as a human shield for their murderous terrorist activities,” they added.
Earlier today, the IDF said troops stormed several homes of Hamas leaders as they continued to step up their ground offensive in Gaza.
They claimed soldiers raided the strip’s upscale Rimal neighbourhood with airstrikes and destroyed a Hamas military camp area.
It came as some 31 babies were evacuated from al-Shifa hospital amid fears of a growing humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
One of the dramatic videos released by the IDF shows Israeli troops raiding the homes of senior Hamas officials and engaging in hot gun fights.
Tanks were seen rolling through the ruined streets as Israel blasted unseen enemies in another clip.
The IDF said paratroopers found “35 tunnel entrances” in a statement as they continued to hunt down Hamas terrorists.
On November 14, Israeli special forces launched a “precise and targeted” raid inside al Shifa – which the IDF called a “military necessity” to root out Hamas.
A witness told the BBC that they saw tanks and hundreds of commandos advance on the medical facility.
The IDF said the operation continued the following morning as they engaged in gun battles with Hamas militants and found weapons inside.
It said: “Before entering the hospital our forces were confronted by explosive devices and terrorist squads, fighting ensued in which terrorists were killed.”
In turn, the hospital has become a symbol of the widespread suffering of Palestinian civilians as patients, including newborns, have been dying from dwindling supplies and no electricity.
The World Health Organisation previously warned that the hospital was becoming a “cemetery” as dead bodies pile up inside and outside.
Palestinian civilians have been left fleeing for their lives as Israel attempts to destroy Hamas after the terror group massacred 1,200 civilians on October 7.
Families living in Gaza have been caught in the brutal crossfire, with regular accusations that the terrorists are attempting to use them as “human shields”.
Much of the northern part of the strip has been turned into a devastated warzone – with ruined buildings, dwindling supplies and horrific suffering for Gaza’s people.
The Red Cross estimates that some 1.5million civilians have been forced to flee south amid the Israeli onslaught from land, air and sea.
Figures for the death toll remain unverified – but Hamas’ health officials claim more than 11,000 civilians, including more than 4,500 children have been killed.
Israel disputes these figures – and US President Joe Biden said he had “no confidence” in them.
But Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Israel has “not been successful” in reducing civilian casualties.
He said the deaths, however, must be blamed on Hamas – not Israel.
And as the horror continues there have been growing calls for a humanitarian ceasefire to stop the bloodshed.
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Paul Sims
