Israel SitRep: Feb. 7, 2024

Today’s Issue: IDF Soldiers Find Intelligence Documents and More than 20 Million Shekels in Cash | IDF Forces Operate Overnight in West Bank, Arrest 21 Wanted Persons | IDF Continues Operations in Gaza’s Khan Younis, Makes Some 80 Arrests | IDF Troops Raid Gaza Tunnel with Prison Cell Where Hostages Were Held | Latest FDD Analysis

IDF Soldiers Find Intelligence Documents and More than 20 Million Shekels in Cash: On Wednesday, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced that the army is publishing some of the intelligence information found by IDF forces in a Gaza tunnel, which shows a direct link between Iran and Hamas, including Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. According to Hagari, the IDF found official Hamas documents from 2020 that include a detailed list of funds transferred by Iran to Hamas and Sinwar between 2014 and 2020, totaling over $150 million. Hagari added: “This is another example of how Iran exports terrorism throughout the entire Middle East.” IDF soldiers also discovered a safe in the same underground complex that contained more than 20 million shekels in cash (around $5.5 million) “for Sinwar’s personal use.”

IDF Forces Operate Overnight in West Bank, Arrest 21 Wanted Persons: Overnight, IDF soldiers from the reserves, the Duvdevan special forces unit, and the Border Police, guided by the Shin Bet, arrested 21 wanted persons throughout the West Bank as part of a counter-terrorism operation. In Nur Shams and Jenin, terrorists threw explosive devices and fired at the troops, who returned fire. Using engineering tools, the troops discovered explosive devices hidden under roads that were intended to hurt soldiers. In Qalqilya, soldiers found a storage space with a large quantity of materials for producing explosives. They also seized weapons, destroyed two explosive devices, and arrested two wanted persons. In Jabal Al-Mawaleh, troops confiscated weapons, and in the village of Bidu, they also found weapons. In the village of Yabed, soldiers arrested a wanted man. Israeli forces have arrested over 3,050 wanted persons in the West Bank since the war began, more than 1,350 of them affiliated with Hamas.

IDF Continues Operations in Gaza’s Khan Younis, Makes Some 80 Arrests: On Tuesday, the IDF reported that its 98th Division is continuing to fight in the west of Khan Younis and that in the previous 24 hours, it killed dozens of terrorists and arrested some 80 individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism, including some believed to have taken part in the October 7 attacks. In one operation in Khan Younis, Israeli Air Force drone operators identified a Hamas operative moving toward Paratrooper Brigade forces and alerted them to his presence. The man entered a building only dozens of meters from the soldiers, and when he exited, the drone struck and killed him. During Givati Brigade operations, after terrorists opened fire at soldiers from a nearby building, the soldiers directed an attack helicopter to the area, which struck the location of the fire, killing the terrorists.

IDF Troops Raid Gaza Tunnel with Prison Cell Where Hostages Were Held: On Wednesday, the IDF published a report on a raid by the Yahalom combat engineering unit and other 98th Division special forces on a tunnel in Khan Younis that had been used by senior Hamas officials and where hostages were also held. The tunnel, over a kilometer (0.6 miles) long, was in “the heart” of a civilian area, and according to intelligence estimates, it cost millions of shekels to build. After fighting terrorists in the tunnel, soldiers broke through the door and neutralized explosives. In the tunnel, they found a prison cell in which hostages had been held, a bathroom, and a room in which those guarding the hostages could rest. The troops also found Hamas weapons and intelligence in the tunnel. Some 12 hostages were kept in the tunnel at different times, three of whom are back in Israel, while the rest are still being held in Gaza. The report includes several video clips and photos of the tunnel.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Amichai Stein, FDD Event

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