THE IDF have released footage they claims reveals part of Hamas’ tunnel network beneath the al- Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
IDF troops exposed the 55-metre-long tunnel located 10 metres deep below the hospital complex, where the terror group is believed to have a main command center.
Footage shows a deep staircase leading to the entrance of the tunnel shaft, which consists of various defense means including a blast-proof door and a firing hole.
“This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organization to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas,” the IDF said.
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.
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 center, 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.
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.