Hamas Operated Command Tunnel Beneath U.N. Gaza Headquarters, Israeli Military Reports

By Dylan Martinez

GAZA (Reuters) – According to Israeli forces, a tunnel network, extending hundreds of meters and partially located beneath the offices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, has been discovered. The military claims this finding serves as new evidence of Hamas taking advantage of the main relief agency for Palestinians.

Army engineers guided journalists from various foreign news outlets through the tunnels during a critical time for UNRWA, which has initiated an internal investigation and faced funding freezes from several donor nations following allegations that some of its staff were affiliated with Hamas.

Palestinians have countered by accusing Israel of fabricating information to damage UNRWA’s reputation, emphasizing that the agency employs around 13,000 people in Gaza and has been an essential support system for the area’s aid-dependent population. UNRWA operates schools, health clinics, and social services, maintaining its activities as strictly humanitarian.

UNRWA Headquarters is situated in Gaza City, in a region that has been overrun by Israeli troops and tanks in the ongoing conflict with Hamas, leading to mass displacements of civilians seeking safety in the south.

On a closely monitored tour, reporters entered a shaft adjacent to a school within the UN compound and descended into a concrete tunnel. After approximately twenty minutes of navigating the hot, narrow, and sometimes twisting passage, the group reached the area located directly beneath UNRWA Headquarters, as explained by an army lieutenant-colonel who led the tour.

The military reported that the tunnel spans 700 meters and reaches depths of 18 meters, branching off at certain points to reveal auxiliary rooms, including an office space with opened steel safes, a tiled toilet, and chambers filled with computer servers and industrial batteries.

“This facility is where everything is managed. All the energy for the tunnels flows from here,” stated the lieutenant-colonel, identified only as Ido. He described the site as a central command point for Hamas’s intelligence operations.

However, Ido noted that Hamas appeared to have evacuated as Israeli forces advanced, indicating that they likely severed communication lines beforehand. Evidence of disruptions was visible in an above-ground section of the tour where cables were seen protruding from the UNRWA Headquarters’ basement.

Additionally, some sections of the tunnel were found to be clogged with sand and knee-deep water, suggesting that Israeli bombardments and recent heavy rains may have contributed to the situation.

In a statement, UNRWA indicated that it had not received any official notification of the tunnel discovery from Israeli authorities and had vacated the headquarters on October 12, shortly after the conflict erupted. As a result, the agency stated, it could not verify or comment on the Israeli claims.

“UNRWA lacks the military and security expertise necessary to conduct inspections of what may be present under its facilities,” the statement elaborated. “Historically, whenever a suspicious cavity has been discovered near or beneath UNRWA premises, we have immediately notified all parties involved in the conflict, including both the de facto authorities in Gaza and Israeli officials.”

In response, Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, dismissed the Israeli claims regarding the tunnel as “falsehoods,” asserting that Israel’s intent was to undermine UNRWA’s operations and deflect attention from their own decisions.

Supporters of UNRWA argue that it is the only agency capable of providing assistance to Palestinians amid escalating humanitarian crises. Meanwhile, Israel contends that the organization is “infiltrated by Hamas” and should be replaced. Hamas has denied any operations within civilian facilities.

“We recognize that Hamas employs individuals within UNRWA. We support the presence of international organizations in Gaza. Our concern lies solely with Hamas,” Ido conveyed to reporters.

The lack of cellphone connectivity within the tunnel made it impossible to geolocate it accurately beneath UNRWA Headquarters. Journalists were instead instructed to place personal items into a bucket, which was then lowered into a vertical hole on the headquarters’ grounds, allowing them to reclaim their belongings during the tunnel tour.

As a condition for the media tour, Israeli military officials prohibited imagery of military intelligence, such as maps or specific equipment within the armored vehicle convoy, and requested prior approval for the transmission of any photographs or videos captured during the visit.