It may be one of the most unbearable smells a human can encounter – a grotesque blend of deep subterranean mold, a space with no fresh air, lingering toxic gas, and death that had steeped in the walls for days. Yet no odor this foul had ever brought such welcome news – the stench of settling scores and a small but significant victory over a brutal enemy.
The tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis served as the command center for the horrific October 7 assault. This is where arch-terrorist Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Rafah, and other senior figures took shelter – and this is where they were eliminated.
Video: This is where Mohammed Sinwar's body was found /// Yehuda Shlezinger
The cynicism of Hamas knows no bounds: the command center was located near the entrance to the emergency room, and the tunnel extended through the hospital's underground levels. Hospital administrators knew that people in need of care were being turned into human shields for monsters. European funding intended for medical care was diverted to orchestrate the murder of Israelis.
It is unlikely that ground troops alone could have found the tunnel. Its exposure was made possible thanks to extraordinary intelligence provided by the Shin Bet security agency and military intelligence. The Israeli Air Force struck the tunnel from both ends, trapping the terrorists underground. The toxic gases released inside the enclosed space killed Sinwar and four other senior commanders.
The discovery of the tunnel and the elimination of these terrorists carries dramatic weight. The deaths of Sinwar and his commanders dealt a serious blow to the terrorist organization – and the international implications of exposing a Hamas command center beneath a hospital carry significant value for Israel's public diplomacy efforts.
Col. D., commander of the Golani reconnaissance unit, led the operation to clear the site. "When you walk into a hospital, the place appears normal," he said. "But once we began clearing the buildings, we found proof of terrorists, weapons, and Hamas infrastructure."
Capt. N., commander of Company B in the Golani reconnaissance unit, added: "The European Hospital is supposed to save lives – but what we saw was the exact opposite. The hospital was completely empty. When we drilled into the tunnel, we realized the kind of treasure it held. We found high-quality intelligence that impacted a soldier fighting just 2 kilometers from there."
Soldiers on the ground describe the prolonged combat and its toll. Capt. N. said: "If anyone wants to end this war, they need to understand that in this small room, someone spent days and nights figuring out how to launch a rocket into our homes. Our goal is to bring the hostages home and destroy Hamas. That's it. We will finish this, because we must. We have to fight so that five years from now, my son doesn't have to come here to fight as well."
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said at the site: "This was one of the command and control centers Hamas used on October 7 to lead the invasion and slaughter in the Gaza border communities. Hamas used this hospital cynically. This shows where European money went. We found weapons and intelligence materials of significant value."
He added: "Hamas murders its own people, uses hospitals, kills its own citizens, slaughters them in the streets – all to prevent them from reaching food distribution centers. We are the ones feeding the population. This undermines Hamas' rule and shakes its foundation."
