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Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-793457
How the IDF Dismantled Gaza's Qatari-Funded Terror Neighborhood
(Jerusalem Post) Amir Buhbot - Following the Israel-Hamas fighting in 2014, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani donated hundreds of millions of dollars for the reconstruction of Gaza. Some of these funds were invested in establishing "Hamad City," a luxurious neighborhood within Khan Yunis. The upscale neighborhood consisted of 124 six-floor buildings with 1,060 apartment units. Hamas senior officials and their families moved into this new neighborhood. "The terrorists in the neighborhood...pose a tangible threat with anti-tank missiles, numerous explosives, sniper rifles, and fortified positions, operating amid civilian buildings, heavily armed," explained an Israeli security official. Within 15 minutes, IDF forces had surrounded the neighborhood. A curtain of fire before the swift incursion left no possibility for the terrorists to escape, not even underground. Drones with powerful speakers urged Palestinians to move south through an "enclosure," where hundreds of terrorists were identified. Two IDF soldiers were killed and over 20 injured in the Hamad City operation. Why were the buildings not bombed from the air to avoid risking IDF soldiers? IDF officers clarified that it was necessary to enter the neighborhood, as terrorists coerced civilians with weapons and threats to stay in their apartments. A senior officer said that Hamas forces are exhausted and suffer from food and ammunition shortages. Most of them hide underground or in apartments, hoping that the fighting will end. In his view, if the Israeli side shows resilience and has patience, Hamas could be decisively defeated.