IDF says it dismantled “underground terrorist route” in Gaza

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) shared on Sunday that its troops had dismantled a 1.2 kilometres long “underground terrorist route” in northern Gaza.

Sharing the details of the operation in a post on X, the IDF noted that a weapons storage facility was located near the route, which allegedly contained around 20 explosive devices, and an anti-tank guided missile amongst other weapons.

As per the IDF, Israeli Air Force Aircraft struck “several terrorists” who were identified to be planting an explosive device near the troops during the operation.

The IDF wrote on X, “IDF troops identified and dismantled a 1.2 kilometre-long underground terrorist route in northern Gaza. A weapons storage facility was located near the route, containing a stockpile of around 20 explosive devices and an anti-tank guided missile, amongst other weapons. In swift and precise coordination, an IAF aircraft strike eliminated several terrorists who were identified planting an explosive device near the troops during the operation.”

The post also contained a video which showed three people on the ground.

Previously on Sunday, Israel launched missiles at Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital, causing damage to its emergency unit and putting the only remaining operational hospital in northern Gaza inoperative, Al Jazeera reported.

Health officials evacuated patients, with some, including those in critical condition, being evacuated under a prior warning issued by the Israeli military before the strike.

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza in a statement on Sunday said that the air strike came “minutes after the army’s warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions. The bombing led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units.”

Condemning the Israeli missile strikes as a “heinous and filthy crime,” Gaza’s Government Media Office said Israel “deliberately destroyed and rendered out of service 34 hospitals as part of a systematic plan to dismantle what remains of the healthcare sector in the Gaza Strip,” Al Jazeera reported.

The IDF stated that al-Ahli Hospital housed a Hamas command and control centre, which was being used by Hamas operatives to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces.

The UN Human Rights Office, in a report released in December 2024, revealed that between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024, at least 136 attacks by Israel targeted 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities in Gaza. These strikes resulted in heavy casualties among doctors, nurses, medics, and civilians, while also causing extensive damage, and in many cases, complete destruction of critical civilian infrastructure.