Hamas terrorists reportedly rigged dolls and children's backpacks at the entrance of a tunnel to lure Israel Defense Forces (IDF) searching for hostages into an ambush, but the Israeli military discovered the deception and foiled the plot.
The IDF posted on X the items contained speakers playing crying sounds and were placed near a shaft that connects to a large network of tunnels.
"The same system [of tunnels] runs between civilian buildings, including a school, a clinic, and a mosque, in the center of which is a security guard that was used by Hamas and was networked with cameras that would monitor our forces and were connected to the clinic's electrical infrastructure," the IDF wrote.
"In addition, anti-tank and observation posts were located in the area, as well as a large explosives arena designed to hit IDF soldiers."
The IDF posted the ambush was discovered by reservists in the 261st Brigade Combat Team (1st Division) of the 162nd Division.
"The goal is to draw us in to look for, to see these things … they play voices in Hebrew, so we'll think there are hostages and missing persons here. In order to draw us into the area that's rigged with explosives," a soldier said while gesturing at a pile of objects in a video released by the IDF, according to the New York Post.
The soldier added there were ammunition and weapons, plus explosives found in bags of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA), the Post reported, adding UNWRA didn't immediately respond to comment. There is mounting criticism over the UNWRA because its officials reportedly have had ties to Hamas.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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