IDF spokesman Effie Defrin delivered a statement on Sunday from an underground facility discovered beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
Speaking from the site, Defrin condemned the use of civilian infrastructure by Hamas, accusing the group of turning humanitarian facilities into operational terror centers. “I am standing in the underground facility beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis. This is where European aid funds ended up - not in medical care, but in the construction of terror tunnels and infrastructure,” he said, displaying a large pile of cash located in the tunnel
“Hamas has once again made cynical use of a civilian hospital, using it not to save lives, but to facilitate death and murder. This is one of the places from which the October 7 attacks were orchestrated.”
Defrin confirmed that senior Hamas leaders had used the facility, including Mohamed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade. “This is the room where Sinwar and Shabana were staying when they were targeted by IDF strikes about a month ago. We can now confirm with certainty that Mohamed Sinwar was here and was killed in the strike,” he stated. “We will continue to hunt down every last member of Hamas until we achieve the objectives of this war.”
He was joined by soldiers from the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and the Golani Brigade, who participated in the operation to seize the compound. “We discovered large sums of money here, not for civilian use, but to fund terrorism. Along with the cash, we found a significant stockpile of weapons,” he added.
Defrin concluded by reiterating the IDF's commitment to dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure and leadership: “This underground complex exemplifies how Hamas exploits humanitarian resources to wage war. Our mission will not end until that threat is fully neutralized.”