WATCH: Elite IDF unit destroys Hamas' secret lair – under a mosque

The IDF announced today that one of its key infantry units has completed an extensive seven-month operation in Rafah.

The Nahal Brigade Combat Team, operating first under Division 162 and later under Gaza Division (143), led 15 major operations across Rafah's neighborhoods before handing over control to the Kiryati Brigade.

Among their most significant discoveries was an elaborate underground route hidden beneath a mosque - a find the IDF says exemplifies Hamas's pattern of using civilian structures for military purposes. The tunnel network and related military equipment were subsequently destroyed.

Working alongside the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, the brigade uncovered and destroyed multiple tunnel systems and thousands of terror infrastructure sites. The unit's fire coordination center also conducted numerous precision strikes, resulting in what the IDF describes as "significant terrorist casualties.

"Our forces repeatedly encountered Hamas's cynical use of civilian populations and institutions," an IDF spokesperson noted in the statement. The Nahal Brigade has now shifted its focus to operations in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.

Israeli forces continue to expand their operational footprint across the Gaza Strip, with military officials saying they're systematically dismantling Hamas's underground infrastructure while attempting to minimize civilian casualties.

Photo and video credit: IDF

*This report is based on an official IDF statement from December 31, 2024.*