Inside Hamas’ Secret Weapons Depot: IDF Unveils Firearms, Rockets, Drones and Ammunition Stored in Gaza Residential House as It Destroys Explosives Laboratory
The Israeli military today unveiled images of a trove of weapons they claim to have discovered in a Hamas safehouse in a residential area during their ground operation in Gaza.
A slew of photos shared on the IDF’s official social media accounts showed piles of weapons, including several Kalashnikov assault rifles and compact rifles with folding stocks, several RPG launchers and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The components of what appeared to be a Chinese-made QW-18 man-portable air defense (MANPAD) launch vehicle lay alongside several missiles, as well as a drone used by Hamas to conduct reconnaissance – or to carry out attacks by dropping grenades on dropping unsuspecting soldiers. .
Dozens of walkie-talkies, satellite phones and other communications equipment were also recovered from the site, which the IDF said was in Beit Hanoun – a city in northeastern Gaza, less than a kilometer from the Israeli town of Sderot.
“As part of the effort to scan the Beit Hanoun area, troops from the 551st Brigade located many weapons and intelligence materials at a home in the area. Kalashnikov-type weapons and a submachine gun, cartridges, grenades, explosives, protective equipment, armed drones and RPG missiles were found in the activity. Some war assets were destroyed and some were taken to Israel for research purposes,” an IDF statement said.
The IDF later released images of its tanks destroying an alleged “explosives laboratory” located near the weapons depot in Beit Hanoun.
A slew of photos shared on the IDF’s official social media accounts showed piles of weapons, including several Kalashnikov assault rifles and compact rifles with folding stocks, several RPG launchers and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Dozens of walkie-talkies, satellite phones and other communications equipment were also recovered from the site, which the IDF said was in Beit Hanoun – a city in northeastern Gaza, less than a kilometer from the Israeli town of Sderot.
The components of what appeared to be a Chinese-made QW-18 man portable air defense (MANPAD) launch vehicle were next to several missiles.
A drone used by Hamas to conduct reconnaissance – or carry out attacks by dropping grenades on unsuspecting soldiers – has been recovered
A demolition machine is seen demolishing a building partially destroyed by Israeli tanks
Israeli special forces are seen roaming the streets of Beit Hanoun
The images and videos of IDF operations were released as Admiral Daniel Hagari declared that his forces “split Gaza in two” after armored battalions surrounded Gaza City in preparation for a ground attack on Hamas.
“Today there is North Gaza and South Gaza,” Hagari told reporters last night, calling it an “important phase” in Israel’s war against the militant Hamas group that rules the enclave.
According to the Israeli press, troops will now enter Gaza City within 48 hours – an operation that would mark a new chapter in the conflict that began almost a month ago when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israel and massacred some 1,400 people.
Northern Gaza was ravaged by incessant Israeli airstrikes from Sunday into Monday morning, as the IDF tries to soften Hamas’ strongholds in Gaza City before its soldiers are forced to navigate the dangerous streets on foot.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said more than 9,700 Palestinians, including more than 4,000 children and minors, have been killed during the nearly month-long war in Gaza. This brought the death toll for the past day to more than 200.
Israel has accused Hamas of war crimes and unveiled new evidence it says shows the terror group is using hospitals in the Gaza Strip as military bases while preventing civilians from escaping.
At the Sheikh Hamad Hospital, known as the ‘Qatari’ Hospital, Admiral Hagari showed what he said was photo evidence of tunnel entrances next to the building discovered by Israeli forces.
Hagari said Hamas is operating from the hospital because they know the IDF cannot launch an airstrike against them without causing collateral damage.
“Hamas is weak without human shields,” he said.
Smoke rising from buildings in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, November 6, 2023
This reaching photo, released by the Israeli military on November 5, 2023, shows Israeli tanks and soldiers stationed at a location in the northern Gaza Strip as fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues.
This photo, taken from a position near Sderot along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip on November 5, 2023, shows flares dropped by Israeli forces over the Palestinian enclave amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
On November 5, 2023, Israeli troops will be deployed to the Gaza border in southern Israel
Israeli soldiers take part in a military action in a location called Gaza, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
Smoke and flames rise during Israeli attacks, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 5, 2023
At a civilian facility, the Sheikh Hamad, known as the ‘Qatari’ Hospital, Hagari showed photo evidence of tunnel entrances next to the building discovered by Israeli forces
Images show what the IDF believes are the entrances to Hamas tunnels under one hospital
Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus today firmly announced the IDF’s intentions with Gaza.
“We will take the fight to Hamas wherever they are: underground, above ground.
“We will be able to dismantle Hamas, stronghold by stronghold, battalion by battalion, until we achieve the ultimate goal, which is to rid the Gaza Strip – the entire Gaza Strip – of Hamas,” he said.
Critics, meanwhile, say Israel’s attacks on Gaza are often disproportionate given the large number of civilians killed.
Gaza also suffered its third communications blackout as Israeli armored columns surrounded Gaza City yesterday.
The “collapse of connectivity” across Gaza, reported by internet access organization NetBlocks.org and confirmed by Palestinian telecom company Paltel, further complicated the task for rescuers to convey details of developments on the ground.
“We have lost communication with the vast majority of UNRWA team members,” said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the UN Palestinian refugee agency.