IDF finds Hamas weapons factory next to Gazan children's bedroom

The IDF found a Hamas tunnel entrance placed near a kindergarten in northern Gaza on Thursday.

 An IDF soldier in a bedroom located next to a Hamas weapons factory in northern Gaza. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An IDF soldier in a bedroom located next to a Hamas weapons factory in northern Gaza.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The IDF said that it had found a rocket and drone production site in the middle of a residential building in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northern Gaza.

The building where the weapons productions site was located was also near schools. The IDF published footage showing the weapons storage site next to rooms where children sleep.

Israeli forces from the IDF's Nahal Brigade succeeded in taking over Hamas's Outpost 17 in western Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

 IDF soldiers find a tunnel near a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
IDF soldiers find a tunnel near a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The soldiers clashed with terrorists from both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the fight to take over the outpost, both above ground and in tunnels in the area.

The fighting continued for 10 hours, with IDF soldiers eliminating a number of terrorists, capturing many weapons, and uncovering tunnel entrances in the area, including one entrance near a kindergarten.

The Nahal soldiers additionally found significant operative materials concerning Hamas's operational plans.

The IDF additionally announced on Thursday that it had found a rocket and drone production site in the middle of a residential building in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northern Gaza.

The building where the weapons productions site was located was also near schools. The IDF published footage showing the weapons storage site next to rooms where children sleep.

35 IDF soldiers killed since ground operation began

The IDF's ground operation in the Gaza Strip continued to advance further into northern Gaza on Thursday, as the war entered its 34th day. Some 35 IDF soldiers have been killed since the IDF entered the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday morning, the IDF announced that Master-Sgt. (Res.) Eliahou Benjamin Elmakayes, 29, from Jerusalem, was killed in the fighting in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Additionally, five soldiers and officers were seriously wounded in clashes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.