Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, attends a meeting with people at a hall on the seashore in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters.

i24 News – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) broke through to Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, taking control of central positions and infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hamas, including its leader’s vacation house in the area, as well as other senior officials, according to an announcement on Sunday.

According to the announcement, the IDF’s 7th Brigade are still fighting in the area. Some of their achievements include raiding the Khan Yunis Brigade headquarters and controlling the central square of the city.

The IDF also raided underground infrastructures in the area, exposing about 30 tunnel shafts. In addition, numerous anti-tank positions and observation posts were destroyed in the area.

During battles over the last week, many terrorists were eliminated, heavy weapons were found and confiscated, as well as equipment containing operational intelligence such as phones, computers and various documents.

🔴IDF Special forces broke through to the #Hamas stronghold of Khan Yunis in southern #GazaStrip and raided the offices and homes of several senior officials, including the vacation home of #Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar pic.twitter.com/aZAZgjoKtK

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 17, 2023

Other raids had been on the “Deir al-Balah” battalion outpost of Hamas, where a trove of intelligence equipment and military training books were found. The apartment of a terrorist in Nukhba had housed weapons, including naval equipment and other means of warfare.

Hamas has cynically used civilians, their homes and civilian infrastructure as human shields. The IDF announced earlier on Sunday another example of a residential home being used to hide an operational terror tunnel, within a child’s bedroom and covered by a baby crib.

🔴WATCH: Israeli forces uncover an operational tunnel shaft inside a children’s room in a home in #Gaza, hidden under a baby crib pic.twitter.com/ms3HaYfi0a

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 17, 2023