The Israeli military says it has discovered tunnels underneath the main headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City, alleging that Hamas militants used the space as an electrical supply room.

The unveiling of the tunnels marked the latest chapter in Israel’s campaign against the embattled agency, which it accuses of collaborating with Hamas.

Recent Israeli allegations that a dozen staff members participated in the Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7 plunged the agency into a financial crisis, prompting major donor states to suspend their funding as well as twin investigations. The agency says that Israel has also frozen its bank account, embargoed aid shipments and canceled its tax benefits.

The army invited journalists to view the tunnel on Thursday.

  • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    499 months ago

    Leaving the facility, it was nearly impossible to identify one window left fully intact. Bullet holes pockmarked the walls. Shrapnel was everywhere, crumpled-up U.N. vehicles were perched precariously atop building debris. Dogs roamed the area.

    "The Israeli army is occupying our biggest UNRWA headquarters,” Touma said in response to Israeli allegations. “That’s what’s outrageous.”

    Also of note, Gaza is like what, 4 square miles?

    There’s tunnels and bomb shelters under literally everything. For reasons that should be obvious now that they’re pretty much the only structures left intact

    • Doug Holland
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      359 months ago

      Gaza is like what, 4 square miles?

      About 141 square miles.

      • Deceptichum
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        139 months ago

        The Gaza Strip is 41 kilometres (25 miles) long, from 6 to 12 km (3.7 to 7.5 mi) wide, and has a total area of 365 km2 (141 sq mi)

        So it is ~4 miles wide.

            • Zorque
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              09 months ago

              Your numbers seem to indicated that it’s right around double the width of its thinnest point at it’s thickest.

              • Deceptichum
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                9 months ago

                7.4 is not 7.5.

                You are correct that it is close, however even 7.5 miles is tiny.

    • @DoomBot5@lemmy.world
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      -109 months ago

      Ha, you think any of those tunnels were used as bomb shelters for civilians? Hamas rather force them to stay in their homes to get them better footage.