In destroyed Palestine Square in the heart of Gaza City, the Israeli flag flies. There is also a menorah, where the fighters lit the first candle of Hanukkah a few days ago, in what was called the "Ceremony of Tears." On one side of the street is Palestine Square, the western and stylish home of Ismail Haniyeh's daughter. Not far from it is a branch of the university, and government institutions. In the area of the square is also the house of Mohammed Deif, the office of Ismail Haniya, the office of Yahya Sinwar, and more.
According to the IDF, Palestine Square is a terrorist center, which is a governmental and military center of the Hamas terrorist organization and is surrounded by buildings that serve as command and control centers, tunneling shafts and strategic buildings of the organization, along with commercial shops, residential buildings, a designated school for deaf children and government buildings.
Documentation of the activities of the combat team of the 401st Brigade and the forces of Shayetet 13 in Gaza // IDF Spokesperson
"We came here the night before the first candle of Hanukkah, and on the first candle, during the ceremony of tears, we all teared here and remembered our fallen soldiers and the difficult experiences we went through, we lit the first candle together," said Col. Aharon.
Hamas' senior Hamas quarter in the center of Gaza City, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Golani fighters in "Palestine Square" with the ruins of the statue that glorified the APC disaster, photo: IDF Spokesperson
The visit to Palestine Square takes place at a time when the IDF announces the takeover of Hamas' "senior quarter" in the center of Gaza City. From this area, Hamas' governmental and military leadership operated and operated. The complex includes an extensive network of tunnels connecting safe houses, bureaus, offices and living apartments belonging to senior figures in the military and political wing of the Hamas terrorist organization. According to the IDF, the compound above and below ground is a governmental and security center of Hamas' military-political wing.
"On a daily basis, the area is bustling with life, there are buildings of rich people here. Haniyeh's daughter's house, a Western house in every respect, a designer designed it, from the furniture to the clothes," explained the commander of the 401st Brigade, Colonel Benny Aharon. "Above ground, there is a whole world of deception. Entire associations, innocent houses, so-called homes of civilians, but in practice they are either a hiding place for terrorists, or right under the ground of the building we found briefing rooms and discussion rooms where the Hamas government met."
The commander of the 401st Brigade, Colonel Benny Aharon, exposes an underground bunker and shaft in Palestine Square // IDF Spokesperson
"The world of the supersurface connects to the world of the subterranean, and the world of the subterranean connects to the hall we call 'connected.' It's a long, large, elaborate world of subsoil that they've built here over decades. The subterranean is designed to help them maintain themselves, senior officials, government officials, routine, and transition from routine to emergency, and in emergencies, a system that will help them move safely from place to place, function and survive," says Aharon.
According to the brigade commander, the underground medium is connected to an electricity system connected to the central electricity system and quite a few generators and solar systems, which enabled senior Hamas figures to survive underground, days and months if necessary.
Kingfisher forces in the tunnel leaving the home of Yahya Sinwar's office chief // IDF Spokesperson
In recent weeks, the combat team of the 401st Brigade of the 162nd Division fought together with forces from the Shaldag unit, Shayetet 13 and Yahalam in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, where Palestine Square is located. The fighters of the battle team began a combined and coordinated attack on the area of Palestine Square, gaining operational control over it. In recent days, the takeover of the area has been completed. In the battles that took place as part of this takeover, the forces eliminated about 600 terrorists from the ground and from the air.
After the operational takeover, many searches were carried out in the area, revealing the underground terrorist city, which is part of Hamas' tunnel network and includes a strategic tunnel route connected to other significant underground infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Tunnel shafts leading to the network are located in the homes and offices of senior officials and allow stealthy descent through designated elevators and stairs, enabling escape and stay when necessary.
Footage from a 20-meter-deep tunnel leaving the home of Sinwar's office chief // IDF Spokesperson
Hamas' subterranean includes blast doors and living rooms and allows it to remain in mystery for a long period of time. In some cases, food products, water, and electrical infrastructure were found to allow prolonged stays. The network was used by senior ISIS figures Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and other senior figures to manage the organization's operational routine and to maintain daily protected movement throughout the heart of Gaza City.
In the vicinity of these buildings, Hamas established a workshop dedicated to excavating and building an underground medium. Inside it was located a logistics shaft and equipment for the construction of the tunnels, including tunnel walls and concrete arches that form the tunnel ceilings, next to it is a shaft 20 meters deep, with spiral stairs that descend to the bottom and includes a blast door and splits. The shaft was blown up by an IED placed in it, and many weapons and technological means were found nearby.
"There is a shaft, an excavation workshop, safety instructions for the excavator. The shaft is a meter from the lives of civilians. It's very hard to believe that whoever broadcasts here doesn't see dozens of people digging. There is no one innocent in the area, everyone knew what was happening here," said officers on the ground.
Shaft Workshop
Maj. D., deputy commander of Shaldag, said: "We reached Hamas' nerve center, large and complex tunneling systems, using many technological means we managed to locate a lot of shafts leading to many more shafts. We were able to uncover very large routes, in which we know people are very important. We are advancing slowly, consistently, correctly and correctly, with the aim of destroying the Hamas regime and bringing the abductees home. In this shaft system (in Palestine Square, Lesh) we identified over 20 significant, detailed, large shafts, with many steps leading to additional subterraneans. We know exactly the networks," he explained.
"Every shaft is a possible escape route for the senior. The shafts lead from an office to a subsoil, and in the subsoil a network of axes in which they can move from place to place. In the end, we will achieve the goal."
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