Battles continue in northern and southern Gaza, as UN officials warn of dire humanitarian situation and accuse Israel of breaking international law

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday it had completed demolishing Hamas’s main rocket and weapon manufacturing industrial zone in the central Gaza Strip, along with a vast tunnel network beneath it that housed some of the facilities.

The development came as the army said troops reached the southernmost point of their ground offensive in Gaza so far on Thursday as they intensified operations across the south of the Palestinian territory.

At the same time, a UN rights expert accused Israel Thursday of breaking international law with its “relentless” bombardment of Gaza.

manufacturing plant beneath central Gaza. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday it had completed demolishing Hamas’s main rocket and weapon manufacturing industrial zone in the central Gaza Strip, along with a vast tunnel network beneath it that housed some of the facilities.

The development came as the army said troops reached the southernmost point of their ground offensive in Gaza so far on Thursday as they intensified operations across the south of the Palestinian territory.

At the same time, a UN rights expert accused Israel Thursday of breaking international law with its “relentless” bombardment of Gaza.

Parts of the weapons manufacturing facility were shown to reporters, including The Times of Israel, during a media tour earlier this month on Salah a-Din road in the Bureij area.

The IDF said troops located additional sites recently, in the Maghazi area, and between Bureij and Nuseirat.

In all, the 36th Division, the Yahalom combat engineering unit, and Air Force’s Shaldag unit discovered and destroyed dozens of tunnel shafts in the area of Salah a-Din road in central Gaza, that connect to hundreds of kilometers of underground passages, according to the IDF.

One of the tunnel shafts was located in the home of a senior Hamas commander responsible for the rocket manufacturing operation.

The IDF said the tunnels led to underground sites used by Hamas to manufacture rockets and other weapons, as well as passages used by the terror group to transport munitions to all parts of Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday it had completed demolishing Hamas’s main rocket and weapon manufacturing industrial zone in the central Gaza Strip, along with a vast tunnel network beneath it that housed some of the facilities.

The development came as the army said troops reached the southernmost point of their ground offensive in Gaza so far on Thursday as they intensified operations across the south of the Palestinian territory.

At the same time, a UN rights expert accused Israel Thursday of breaking international law with its “relentless” bombardment of Gaza.

Parts of the weapons manufacturing facility were shown to reporters, including The Times of Israel, during a media tour earlier this month on Salah a-Din road in the Bureij area.

The IDF said troops located additional sites recently, in the Maghazi area, and between Bureij and Nuseirat. In all, the 36th Division, the Yahalom combat engineering unit, and Air Force’s Shaldag unit discovered and destroyed dozens of tunnel shafts in the area of Salah a-Din road in central Gaza, that connect to hundreds of kilometers of underground passages, according to the IDF.

One of the tunnel shafts was located in the home of a senior Hamas commander responsible for the rocket manufacturing operation.

The IDF said the tunnels led to underground sites used by Hamas to manufacture rockets and other weapons, as well as passages used by the terror group to transport munitions to all parts of Gaza.

Both above and below ground in Maghazi, Bureij, and Nuseirat, the IDF said it discovered steel workshops, chemical and explosives factories, and storage sites for long-range rockets.