On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Tuesday accused Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Jenin of turning the al-Ansar mosque into a “fortified” hideout.
Photos reveal the mosque has an underground tunnel and is filled with cache of weapons.
The hideout was discovered after a shootout in the area, a known hotbed for terrorists, which has seen more than 50 shooting attacks in 2023 thus far.
On the ground floor, troops found two tunnel openings that the army said were connected. Explosives, weapons, and other military equipment were found inside the holes and scattered across the mosque.
“All of this excavation work in the mosque has turned it into a fortified site,” said Lt. Col. “Mem,” the commander of the elite Egoz unit, who can only be identified by his rank and initial of his first name in Hebrew.
The equipment was seized, the weapons were destroyed, and the tunnel was rendered inoperable, the IDF said.
IDF states, “Holy places, such as the Al-Nasr Mosque, should not be used as a front for terrorism. Packed with loads of ammunition, and two underground pits containing explosive devices, this is just one example of how terrorists abuse the citizens of Jenin. We will continue operating until the terrorists of Jenin are no longer a threat on the stability of the area.”
