Jerusalem, 2 January, 2024 (TPS) — Israeli forces took control of a Hamas stronghold in Gaza City including more than 30 buildings, underground bunkers and tunnels located near civilian homes, schools and hospitals, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.

According to the IDF, Hamas’ Eastern Military Post in Gaza City included 37 buildings featuring operational command and control rooms.

The underground complex found by soldiers was 20 meters deep. It included large operational rooms and hideouts for Hamas leaders. Soldiers also discovered many weapons and communication devices.

In addition, five interconnected tunnel shafts were discovered. In one of the shafts, elite Shaldag Unit forces engaged and eliminated Hamas terrorists in close-quarter combat.

Combat engineers destroyed the entire tunnel route.

Above ground, Israeli forces identified one specific building in the stronghold for a targeted raid, during which terrorists fired on them from upper floors. The Israelis returned fire while evacuating wounded soldiers. The terror squad was eliminated in close-quarter combat.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed during the operation.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The number of men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners held captive in Gaza by Hamas is now believed to be 129. Other people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.