IDF Says Discovered Largest Hamas’s Weapons Production Site Found Since October 7 in Gaza

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that it had discovered the largest weapons production site of Palestinian movement Hamas found since October 7 in the Gaza Strip.

"In recent weeks, the 36th Division has been operating in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip … Soldiers of the 188th and Golani brigades uncovered several tunnel shafts reaching a depth of approximately 30 meters… The Golani Brigade located the largest weapons production site discovered since the beginning of the war," the IDF said on Telegram.

Israeli soldiers found components for long-range rockets capable of hitting northern Israel, as well as mortar shells, explosives, ammunition, small arms and drones, the statement added.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 23,000 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.