Gaza War: ‘Hamas tunnel’ uncovered under UNRWA office, claims Israel

Alleging that all tunnels used by Hamas to operate beneath the Palestinian enclave were powered from this location, the Israeli military asserts that it has found a tunnel beneath the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) headquarters in Gaza. The 700-meter-long and 18-meter-deep tunnel was invited by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be inspected by foreign journalists.

“Acting on ISA intelligence, the forces discovered a tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school, leading to an underground terrorist tunnel beneath UNRWA’s main headquarters. The forces found electrical infrastructure inside the tunnel connected to UNRWA’s main HQ, suggesting it was supplying the tunnel with electricity — generated by the fuel provided through humanitarian aid,” the IDF said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

It further stated that “intelligence and documents found confirmed the offices’ use by Hamas terrorists” and that the tunnel “contained multiple blast doors and various intelligence assets seized by the forces.”

“Large quantities of weapons, including rifles, ammunition, grenades and explosives, were uncovered hidden in the building’s offices,” claimed the IDF.

In a statement released on Saturday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that as the bombing in the region grew more intense on October 12, UNRWA employees had evacuated from the organization’s headquarters in Gaza per Israeli directives.

“We have not used that compound since we left it nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there,” he said, adding that the last inspection for UNRWA Gaza premises was completed in September 2023.

Since retaliatory strikes followed an Islamist terror incident on the Israeli mainland, Israeli forces have found a tunnel they allege is being utilized by Hamas on previous occasions. Israel has insisted that Hamas was carrying out its operations while avoiding attacks in Gaza by digging a vast network of tunnels beneath schools and clinics.

The Israeli military declared in November of last year that it had found a tunnel shaft beneath the troubled al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. It claimed to have discovered a 55-meter-long and 10-meter-deep tunnel beneath Gaza’s biggest hospital.

In addition, the Israeli military asserted that it had discovered and demolished three tunnel shafts close to the Rantisi Children’s Hospital in Gaza in December of last year.

The tunnels and other locations resembling bunkers have not yet been directly linked by international observers to military operations carried out by Hamas or other Palestinian organizations.

The UNRWA has come under increased scrutiny since the start of the current war since it helps thousands of Palestinians who are impacted by Israeli airstrikes and offers vital aid.

This is in response to remarks made by right-wing Netanyahu administration officials characterizing the conflict as “Gaza’s Nakba,” a reference to the 1948 Palestinian displacement. A different minister was removed from cabinet meetings after suggesting that a nuclear bomb be dropped on Gaza.