Explained | The riddle that is Hamas' control centre in Gaza—between Al-Shifa and Khan Younis

As the war between the state of Israel and Palestinian militant-political group Hamas enters its seventh week with minimal signs of cessation of violence that has caused unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Hamas-run Gaza Strip, the riddle that is Hamas control centrehas emerged as top flashpoint of the ongoing war in West Asia.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration is attempting to convince the world — by taking selected international journalists to the sites of what it claims are Hamas sanctuaries in Gaza — about Hamas' use of tunnels under Gaza hospitals as launchpads for attacks on Israel, a definitive answer on where is Hamas control centre is yet to emerge.

Besides, the claim that the elaborate web of tunnels in Gaza are the locations where Israel and the US say Hamas is keeping the hostages it took as captive after the attack on Israel on October 7, is dominating the discourse.

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Both Netanyahu and the Biden administration say they have evidence that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are operating command centres and ammunition depots under hospitals in Gaza, as part of an effort to use civilians using the hospitals as human shields.

But the purported Command Centreis yet to be discovered.

Al-Shifa hospital not a Hamas command centre?

On Thursday (Nov 18) night, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) led a selected few journalists to show a shaft in the ground with a staircase at Gaza City's largest Al-Shifa hospital.

The shaft had electrical wiring, along with a metal staircase, the New York Times reported.

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The military said it had sent a drone down at least several metres into the shaft, which it said was found in the sand on the northern sideof the hospital complex.

Earlier, the IDF released footage of weapons they said were found at Al-Shifa and the bodies of two Israelis taken hostage in locations adjacent to the hospital.

The local medical staff have denied that the hospital was used as a Hamas command centre.

The opening of the tunnel that was seen at Al-Shifa's grounds could be booby-trapped with bombs that could explode. Such precedent exists. In 2013, six Israeli soldiers were injured when a bomb exploded when they tried to push in a camera into a tunnel in Gaza.

But there are conflicting accounts from the Israeli side itself on where exactly is the Hamas command centre.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Euronews that Hamas' underground command centre is based in Khan Yunis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip located about 30 km south of Al-Shifa hospital.

"That's where the real headquarters of Hamas is," he said.

"They have the leadership, they are hiding, they have the bunkers, they have the command positions, they have the launching pads."

Khan Younis is the largest city in southern Gaza. After Israel gave ultimatum to the Palestinians in northern Gaza to move towards south, Khan Younis is the place where people fled.

On Friday (Nov 18), Israel Defence Forces (IDF) warned people in some towns of Khan Younis as well to evacuate their homes and move to shelters.

The population of Khan Younis went from 400,000 residents to over a million in the wake of people fleeing towards south.

“With every passing day, there are fewer places where Hamas terrorists can operate,” Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, adding that the militants would learn that in southern Gaza “in the coming days."

Conclusively, due to elaborate network of tunnels in Gaza, adefinite account of where is Hamas Control Centremay take months or may never come at all, according to the US military officials quoted in the New York Times.

How big are the Hamas tunnels?

Qatar-based Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, had claimed in 2021 that there were 310 miles of tunnels in Gaza.

US officials cited in the western media say that the tunnels in Gaza are akin to "miniature cities" with rooms, cells and even roads for the vehicles.

Besides, since taking over Gaza in 2007, Hamas has invested huge but unspecified amounts of money to revamp the existing tunnel infrastructure and create new ones. The tunnels are used to smuggle weapons, militants, politicians, food and goods necessary to make the rockets often fired into Israel from inside the strip.

Are Israeli forces entering Hamas tunnels in Gaza?

So far, there are no specific reports if or not Israel's military has entered the tunnels to "dismantle Hamas".

A Pentagon official was quoted as saying in the New York Times that Israeli forces will view sending soldiers down into the tunnels as a measure of last resort.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.