IDF reveals how trove of Hamas intel – over 65 million files, half a million documents – has helped ground operations
The IDF’s Intelligence Directorate’s Document and Technical Means Collection Unit has been coordinating the collection and examination of Hamas intel assets since the beginning of the war and the ground operation in Gaza.
The unit, mostly comprised of army reservists, works to extract intelligence from assets collected by soldiers in the field. The unit analyzes the assets for implications to help IDF operations in the Gaza Strip.
Since the start of the war, over 65 million files and roughly half a million documents with operational plans and combat methods of Hamas operatives have been discovered by IDF soldiers and analyzed by the Intelligence Unit.
The IDF’s operations in Hamas strongholds have produced a plethora of assets that were transferred to the collection unit for in-depth research and analysis to benefit the troops as they search for Hamas leaders and Israeli hostages.
Among the documents found was a map of tunnel shafts seized by the 252nd Division in the home of a company commander of Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion. The division also discovered a key to explain the map at the home of another Hamas operative.
Once analyzed by the research team, the important link between the map and the key was created, making it possible to identify the tunnel shafts in the field. Many of those tunnel shafts have since been destroyed.
A map with tunnel shafts marked on it was found by the 36th Division in the home of an assistant to the commander of the Shejaiya Battalion, Wissam Farhat. After initial processing in Unit 9900 of Military Intelligence, the information was relayed back to the soldiers in the field. As a result, Israeli troops located the tunnel shaft and it was neutralized by combat engineering soldiers from the Yahalom unit.
Additionally, a document was seized by soldiers that contained the locations of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near Beit Hanoun. After the Intelligence Directorate examined the document, Israeli forces were directed to the area to find and neutralize the IEDs.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
