In a dramatic statement on Sunday, IDF spokesman Effie Defrin addressed the media from deep beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, where Israeli forces uncovered a hidden underground compound.
Delivering his remarks from the subterranean location, Defrin condemned Hamas for misappropriating civilian infrastructure for terror operations. “I am standing in the underground facility beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis. This is where European aid funds ended up – not in medical care, but in the construction of terror tunnels and infrastructure,” he declared, gesturing toward a pile of cash discovered in the tunnel system.
He went on to condemn Hamas’s manipulation of humanitarian sites, saying, “Hamas has once again made cynical use of a civilian hospital, using it not to save lives, but to facilitate death and murder. This is one of the places from which the October 7 attacks were orchestrated.”
According to Defrin, the tunnel network had been used by high-ranking Hamas operatives, including Mohamed Sinwar, the brother of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, and Shabana, the head of the Rafah Brigade. “This is the room where Sinwar and Shabana were staying when they were targeted by IDF strikes about a month ago. We can now confirm with certainty that Mohamed Sinwar was here and was killed in the strike,” he said. “We will continue to hunt down every last member of Hamas until we achieve the objectives of this war.”
Alongside Defrin were members of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and fighters from the Golani Brigade, who played a central role in the mission to capture the tunnel compound. Defrin noted, “We discovered large sums of money here, not for civilian use, but to fund terrorism. Along with the cash, we found a significant stockpile of weapons.”
In closing, Defrin reaffirmed Israel’s determination to destroy Hamas’s war-making capability. “This underground complex exemplifies how Hamas exploits humanitarian resources to wage war. Our mission will not end until that threat is fully neutralized.”
{Matzav.com Israel}