Israeli forces have located a massive stockpile of weapons near a clinic and school in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said on Wednesday, describing it as “one of the largest found” since the start of the ground invasion on Oct. 27.
The arsenal, discovered by soldiers from the 460th Brigade of the 50th Battalion during operational activity, contained “hundreds of missiles and RPG launchers of various types, dozens of anti-tank missiles, dozens of explosive charges, long-range missiles aimed at the center of the State of Israel, dozens of grenades and unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Troops confiscated or destroyed many of the weapons. Some were transferred for further investigation.
“All of the terrorist infrastructure [was] found near civilian buildings in the heart of a civilian population. This is further proof of the cynical use that the terrorist organization Hamas makes of the residents of the Gaza Strip as a human shield,” the IDF said.
Earlier this month, Israeli soldiers found missiles and military gear hidden among U.N. relief supplies in the northern Gaza Strip.
More than 100 rockets, including 30 “Grad” rockets, were found hidden among boxes belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the IDF said.
In November, the IDF’s 401st Brigade found a large number of weapons in bedrooms and under children’s beds in a building linked to a senior Hamas operative on the outskirts of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.
The military also discovered four tunnel shafts in Jabalia of significant depth from which heavy mortar fire had been directed towards Israel. The shafts connected to a central tunnel located in a building linked to another senior Hamas operative.
