Israel penetrates underground "maze", takes down Hamas weapons division leader

Israel xâm nhập mê cung ngầm, hạ lãnh đạo bộ phận vũ khí Hamas - 1 — Smoke rises in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike (Photo: AFP).

The Israeli military announced that Mohsen Abu Zina, head of the Hamas weapons agency, was killed in a Tel Aviv strike.

"According to intelligence, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier killed Mohsen Abu Zina, head of the weapons and industry department in the Hamas production department," the statement said.

According to the IDF, Mr. Zina was one of Hamas's leading weapons developers and an expert in developing strategic weapons and missiles for the force.

Additionally, the statement said, the IDF identified a group of Hamas members who planned to fire anti-tank missiles at the force. The IDF also said it had dispatched an aircraft to attack a group of Hamas forces behind the rocket launches into Israel.

Hamas has not commented on the IDF's information.

Israel began its air and ground offensive on Gaza after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the Tel Aviv-controlled territory on October 7. More than 11,000 people from both sides were killed, most of them civilians.

IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said Israel is beginning attacks on Hamas's "labyrinthine" network of underground tunnels in Gaza.

"The mission inside Gaza is to engage Hamas and destroy each of its underground strongholds in the bunkers. We are doing it slowly and meticulously according to the plan. The IDF's momentum is good, steady. It is a challenging front. Unfortunately, Hamas is very well prepared," he said.

"Hamas has prepared a series of tunnels. Many of them are short strategic routes, basically fighting positions, allowing Hamas to move from one corner to another. Some are longer, deeper and wider. But we are gradually penetrating all of them and gaining momentum every day," he stressed.

"The ultimate goal is to capture or eliminate the entire Hamas leadership who planned, facilitated and carried out the October 7 attack against Israel. And it is only a matter of time before these Hamas leaders are captured or killed by Israel," the Israeli official said.

The prospects for a peace solution in Gaza remain unclear as the two sides remain at odds over the preconditions for a ceasefire. Israel has said it will not agree to a ceasefire until all 200-plus hostages are released by Hamas.

Meanwhile, Hamas asserted that it will not stop fighting if Gaza continues to be attacked by Israel.

Israel has so far been unclear about its long-term plans if it achieves its stated goal of wiping out Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Tel Aviv will seek to assume responsibility for Gaza's security "for an indefinite period" after the war.

However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said they have no interest in administering the enclave. After the war, Tel Aviv aims to have neither Israel nor Hamas control Gaza, Gallant said.

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