The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday that its troops had located and demolished a hideout apartment belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in northern Gaza along with a large tunnel system underneath it, Report informs via The Times of Israel.

The IDF has claimed to be closing in on Sinwar for weeks, but "the terror chief continues to evade capture, robbing Israel of the morale-boosting operational victory it has desperately sought since the war began three months ago," The Times of Israel said.

The hideout apartment was located Friday on the outskirts of Gaza City by the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade. It was later investigated by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, which found a tunnel shaft.

The IDF said it found significant evidence in the apartment that led to its conclusion that Sinwar used it as a hideout.

The tunnel shaft was some 20 meters deep, and led to a 218-meter-long tunnel with several branches, according to the IDF.

The underground passages featured electricity, air filtration systems, plumbing, resting and prayer rooms, and other equipment aimed at allowing senior Hamas members to remain hidden for long periods.

The tunnel was later destroyed by combat engineers, the IDF said.

On Monday, Sinwar issued his first public statement since October 7, expressing defiance while inflating achievements of Hamas in the war.

A day earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a renewed threat against Sinwar, saying the Hamas leader will soon “meet the barrels of our guns.”

On December 18, Hebrew media reported that IDF troops had twice managed to reach tunnels in Gaza in recent days where they believed Sinwar was hiding just before they arrived.

On December 14, a senior Biden administration official told reporters it was “safe to say” that Sinwar’s “days are numbered.”