Hamas has used tunnels beneath the Egypt-Gaza border to move weapons and other goods into Gaza. Tunnels are also a major part of Hamas’s military infrastructure: in 2021, Gaza Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar claimed the wider network exceeded 500 kilometers, a figure reported at the time by the Times of Israel.
Border tunnels and military supplies
Tunnel routes under the Egypt border enabled smuggling that helped arm Hamas. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ account describes the border network’s role in bringing weapons and other contraband into Gaza. The Egypt-border routes are distinct from estimates of the much larger tunnel network inside Gaza; Sinwar’s 500-kilometer figure was Hamas’s own claim.
What the UN verified at a health center
The UN Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict covering 2023 verified one incident of military use of a health center in Gaza by Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The incident appears in the report’s account of grave violations affecting children; it is a specific documented case, not evidence that every civilian site was used for military purposes. The UN report provides the incident record.
Hamas’s tunnels and military activity at a civilian facility are separate documented issues: one concerns underground supply and military infrastructure, the other a specific verified incident. A distinct example of a concealed military input in commercial cargo is covered in the Ashdod shipment account.