Israeli operations affected one of their patrol, with gunfire and an explosion impacting near their forces, according to a report by UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Friday that Israeli operations interfered with one of their patrols, with gunfire and an explosion impacting near their forces.
“Heavy machine gunfire from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions south of the Blue Line impacted close to a UNIFIL patrol inspecting a roadblock in the village of Bastarra. The gunfire followed a grenade explosion nearby,” said the statement.
“While there was no damage to UNIFIL assets, the sound of the gunfire and the explosion left one peacekeeper slightly injured with an ear concussion,” it added.
In another incident, UNIFIL reported that a patrol in the village of Kfar Shouba heard machine gun fire from Israeli troops near their position.
UNIFIL vehicles drive in Deir Mimas, southern Lebanon, February 18, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/KARAMALLAH DAHER)
UNIFIL leaks information to Hezbollah
UNIFIL and the IDF had been clashing in the last couple of months, with the UN’s force targeting IDF surveillance drones and allegedly leaking information to Hezbollah, according to a report by Army Radio.
On November 30, senior IDF officials fear that photographs and documentation taken by UNIFIL peacekeepers of Israeli military operations on the Lebanon-Israel border are being leaked to Hezbollah, according to Army Radio reports.
The IDF also discovered an official UNIFIL document which referred to Israel as “the enemy,” which, after Israel demanded answers, Army Radio claimed that UNIFIL apologized for the phrasing, claiming they had “copied the wording of the Lebanese army” and had “forgotten” to correct it.
Additionally, a drone incident occurred on October 27, when UNIFIL reported that Israeli drones flying over UNIFIL patrols in an “aggressive manner,” stating that “the peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone.”
These situations all took place in the context of an imminent UNIFIL withdrawal from Lebanon, with the force set to remain fully operational in the country until 2026, when the operation will begin a year-long “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal.”
The withdrawal was approved by the United Nations Security Council, with a French resolution that “requests UNIFIL to cease its operations on December 31, 2026, and to start from this date and within one year its orderly and safe… withdrawal… in close consultation with the government of Lebanon.”
Amichai Stein, Reuters, and The Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday they intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, which triggered air raid sirens across multiple areas in Israel during the night.
Residents in Tel Aviv and other cities rushed to shelters. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. The alert comes after a series of recent drone and missile attacks from Yemen.
The Houthis later claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia has repeatedly launched rockets and drones at Israel, citing solidarity with Hamas.
Houthi attacks have often targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and Ramon Airport in southern Israel. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes in Yemen, saying it targets locations linked to Houthi military operations.
In the most recent Israeli airstrike in Yemen on Wednesday, the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry reported at least 35 people killed. In late August, Houthi leaders, including their prime minister and several ministers, were killed in Israeli strikes.
As Israel starts to mobilize 60,000 reservists for an intensified war in Gaza, its leaders stressed to soldiers on Tuesday the importance of their mission to defeat the Hamas militia which attacked the country nearly two years ago.
“We are fighting a stubborn and just war without peer,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message to soldiers.
“But what began in Gaza must end in Gaza.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir told a meeting of reservists that the Gaza operation would be intensified.
“We have already begun the ground operation in Gaza – make no mistake,” Zamir said, as reported on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Telegram channel.
“We are already entering places we have never entered before,” he added.
“We will not stop the war until we defeat this enemy,” he said.
IDF says top Hamas terrorist eliminated in Gaza City
Late on Tuesday, the IDF reported that it killed in a joint operation with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), Hazem Awni Naeeem, the terrorist who held hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Naama Levy in captivity. The three were released in a hostage deal in January.
The Hamas militant was a senior operative in military intelligence in the Gaza City brigade, the IDF said.
Israel is planning to capture Gaza City, the largest settlement in the sealed-off strip and home to some 1 million, to rid it of Hamas terrorists, the government has said.
The move has been denounced by hostage relatives and many others in Israel who worry that an occuupation of Gaza City will endanger the lives of those still held captive.
According to Israeli sources, 48 hostages are still being held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Other critics argue that Hamas cannot be defeated militarily and no longer poses a threat to Israel.
On the ground in Gaza
At least five children were killed in the latest Israeli attack on southern Gaza, local media reported on Tuesday.
Palestinian news agency WAFA said the shelling took place in al-Mawasi, an area that has been designated as a humanitarian zone by the Israeli military.
A spokesman for the military said it was investigating the reports.
Images circulating on social media show the dead bodies of several children. It was not possible to independently verify them.
According to WAFA, dozens of people were killed in earlier attacks across Gaza.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
More than 63,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since the start of the conflict, according to figures from the Hamas-controlled health authorities in the territory.
The tally does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but the figures are seen as credible by the United Nations.
The military’s Arabic spokesman on Tuesday again called on the population to evacuate, suggesting people move south to al-Mawasi, where conditions are said to be catastrophic.
Aid organisations, citing satellite images, report that more than 70% of homes have been destroyed or damaged, with some areas of Gaza seeing destruction rates as high as 90%.
Unrelated photos appearing to show people being arrested and escorted by police are circulating in Malaysia with false claims they show Dutch police detaining members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The photos previously circulated in reports and posts that made no mention of the individuals being Israeli soldiers, and a spokesperson for the Dutch police told AFP that none of the pictured officers are wearing the force’s official uniform.
“Dutch police arrested Israeli Major General Shaitan Shaul, commander of the armoured corps, this morning on charges of war crimes in Rafah,” reads the Malay-language caption of a Facebook image shared on August 14, 2025.
The photo shows a man in handcuffs being escorted by law enforcement officers.
The caption goes on to claim he was arrested while on holiday at The Hague, adding that Dutch authorities are on a campaign to arrest IDF soldiers after the “International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a life sentence to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”.
Screenshot of the false post taken on August 24, 2025 with a red X added by AFP
Screenshots of the false Facebook post captured on September 1, 2025, with red Xs added by AFP
Reverse image searches, however, show the pictured individuals are not linked to the Israeli military.
The ICJ has also not issued any ruling on Netanyahu — though the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for him and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Israel’s war in Gaza, including using starvation as a method of warfare (archived link).
The Hamas attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 63,459 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
Unrelated photos
The first falsely shared photo was previously used in news reports by British newspapers The Telegraph and The Sun, which identified the man as Johnny Morissey, a UK national who was arrested in Spain in September 2022 for his role as a cartel enforcer (archived here and here).
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the image from The Telegraph’s report in September 2022 (right)
The second photo, showing a policewoman handcuffing a woman who is lying face down, was previously shared on June 1, 2025 by the user AshnaGopal on DeviantArt, a platform for digital artists (archived link).
The owner of the account told AFP the photo was taken in the United Kingdom. The person who took the photo had not posted it elsewhere but gave the DeviantArt user permission to share it on their account, they said.
“This is actually a police training exercise, and the woman on the bottom is actually a student volunteer. You can see they are actually in a gym with a foam floor,” they said on August 25.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the image posted on DeviantArt (right)
The photo of a woman flanked by two men, one in a police uniform, was previously published by The Daily Mail in an August 2016 article titled, “Collapsed in the street, urinating in doorways and being carted off by police: It’s just another Bank Holiday night on the Toon for Newcastle revellers” (archived link).
The photo’s caption also makes no reference to the woman being an Israeli soldier.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the image published by The Daily Mail in 2016 (right)
The photo of a woman covering her face while a policewoman appears to escort her, was used in a September 2019 article by German daily Rheinische Post, which identified the woman as an Instagram beauty influencer who was charged with illegally injecting fillers into people’s lips and noses (archived link).
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the image published by Rheinische Post in 2019
A spokesperson for the Dutch national police, Lilian Scholten, told AFP that “no officers wearing a Dutch uniform can be seen” in the falsely shared photos.
Policemen in the Netherlands traditionally wear dark navy uniforms with bright yellow horizontal stripes across the chest and shoulders and are also equipped with utility belts and body cameras or other gear (archived link).
Screenshot comparison of the false posts (left) and a photo showing Dutch police in their official uniform (right)
Belgian authorities in Antwerp did briefly hold and question two Israeli citizens attending the Tomorrowland music festival in July 2025 after they were accused of war crimes by pro-Palestinian groups (archived link). Their names were not made public.
AFP has repeatedly debunked false and misleading claims about the war in Gaza.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, has been killed in an air strike in Gaza City, Israel has said.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, for the “flawless execution” in a post on X.
He gave no detail on the time or location of the operation, but the IDF earlier said its aircraft attacked “a key terrorist” in the al-Rimal neighbourhood on Saturday, prompting reports in Israeli media that Obeida had been the target.
Hamas has not confirmed his death. The Palestinian armed group earlier said dozens of civilians were killed and injured in Israeli strikes on a residential building in the district.
Katz warned on Sunday that many more of Obeida’s “criminal partners” would be targeted with “the intensification of the campaign in Gaza” – a reference to a recently approved Israeli plan to seize control of Gaza City.
Separately, the IDF and Shin Bet offered more details about Saturday’s strikes that targeted the Hamas spokesman.
They said in a joint statement that the operation had been “made possible due to prior intelligence gathered by [Shin Bet] and the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate” that had identified his hiding place.
Five missiles struck the second and third floor of the six-storey apartment building simultaneously from two different directions.
The targeted flat had been used as a dentist’s surgery. Witnesses reported hundreds of thousands of dollars flying into the air because of the strike, with large sums stolen and later recovered by Hamas members.
Obeida was among the few remaining senior members of Hamas’s military wing from before its deadly 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.
The joint statement said Obeida “served as the public face of the Hamas terrorist organization” and “disseminated Hamas’ propaganda”.
Over the past few years, Obeida – believed to be about 40 years old – delivered a number of long diatribes against Israel on behalf of Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
Always masked in a Palestinian scarf, he became an idol to Hamas supporters throughout the Middle East.
In what may have been his final speech on Friday, Obeida said the fate of remaining Israeli hostages would be the same as that of Hamas fighters, warning Israel against its planned invasion of Gaza City.
Palestinians flee as smoke is seen billowing over Gaza City following an Israeli air strike on Saturday [EPA]
On Saturday, Hamas accused the IDF of hitting a residential building in the densely populated al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Local journalists reported that at least seven people had been killed and 20 injured in the strikes, with children among the casualties.
The IDF said that prior to the attack “many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision weapons, aerial observations, and additional intelligence information”.
BBC News has been unable to independently verify the claims of either the IDF or Hamas.
In early August, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City in a fresh offensive, with the stated aim of bringing the 22-month-long war to an end.
The UN has repeatedly warned that a complete military takeover would risk “catastrophic consequences” for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The UK’s ambassador to Israel has said it would be “a huge mistake”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas and defied international criticism of his plans to expand the war.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza began in response to the Hamas-led 7 October attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Since then, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
While the operation to capture Gaza City has yet to begin in earnest, Israeli attacks on the city – where nearly a million people live – have been ongoing.
The Israeli military has said it plans to evacuate Gaza City’s entire population and move it to shelters in the south before troops move in. Most of Gaza’s population has already been displaced many times during the conflict.
More than 90% of the city’s homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed, and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed.
“For me, hell was not the moment Israel attacked; hell was the moment they wouldn’t open the door [of the cell] for us,” Motahareh Goonei recalls in an exclusive interview with the BBC.
A political activist, Goonei was in solitary confinement in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison when it was hit in a targeted attack by Israel on 23 June.
Satellite imagery, witness accounts and verified footage obtained by BBC News Persian reveal new details of the attack in the closing hours of the Israel-Iran war and of those who died.
The high-security complex, perched on the northern edge of Tehran, has held thousands of political prisoners over the past half-century. On that day in June, the prison became the site of the deadliest Israeli strike on Iranian soil in terms of civilian casualties.
Iranian authorities say 80 people were killed – among them prison staff, inmates, medical workers, visitors and residents of nearby neighbourhoods.
In a report published on 14 August, Human Rights Watch said that Israeli air strikes on the prison were unlawfully indiscriminate and amounted to an apparent war crime.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the reason for the attack was that the facility was being “used for intelligence operations against Israel”.
‘No way out’
Describing the moment explosions ripped through the compound, Goonei said: “When I heard the third blast, I was certain there was no way out. I just pounded on the door with all my strength, but it wouldn’t open. I thought ‘this is the end of your life – say goodbye’.”
Motahareh Goonei has been temporarily released from prison on bail [Supplied]
Freed from her cell by another prisoner, Goonei stumbled into thick, choking smoke. She says that guards initially tried to block inmates from escaping, and some prison interrogators even threatened them.
Yet in scenes she described as “horrific but humanising”, prisoners rushed to help injured guards, calming a panicked female officer and bandaging the wounds of a crying interrogator.
Other inmates from another ward rushed to help doctors and nurses trapped in the prison clinic.
Saeedeh Makarem, a doctor who was badly injured in the strike, later wrote on Instagram: “The very prisoners I once treated saved my life.”
Another woman held in Evin, speaking on condition of anonymity due to fears for her safety, has described the moment of the attack to the BBC.
“At first there were several explosions in quick succession, and the noise went on for about two minutes.
“We stayed on our beds at first because the windows had shattered, then we got dressed and all helped to bring the older women downstairs. No-one from the prison helped us – they shut the door on us and said we couldn’t go out.’
Scale of the attack
BBC analysis indicates Israel attacked Evin with at least six projectiles, damaging at least 28 buildings inside the complex.
The IDF says it had conducted a “targeted strike” on “a symbol of oppression against the Iranian people” and claimed that measures were taken to minimise harm to civilians.
But a relative of a political prisoner who arrived to visit just minutes after the blasts said “those coming out of the prison were saying there were bodies everywhere. Some prisoners had come out, none of them trying to escape — just stunned.”
Iranian authorities say 75 inmates fled during the chaos. Some were later recaptured or returned voluntarily.
Identifying victims
Iranian officials say that of the 80 people killed in the attack, 42 were prison staff and five were inmates. Only the names of the staff have been released.
BBC News Persian has independently verified the identities and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three of the victims through interviews with their relatives. They are:
Masoud Behbahani, a dual Iranian-American citizen, who was being held on financial charges. His family were given conflicting accounts of his death from the Iranian Prisons Organisation.
Arvin Mohammadi, 37, killed in the administrative building while posting bail for his father’s temporary release from prison during the war
Mehrangiz Imanpour, 61, a prominent artist and painter, killed by shrapnel
Among the other victims killed in the attack were a local mother of a one-year-old child, a philanthropist visiting to arrange a prisoner’s release, five social workers, 13 young military conscripts, and the five-year-old child of one of the social workers.
After the attack on Evin Prison, the fate of transgender prisoners remains unknown. Some media reports claimed that 100 transgender inmates had been killed, but BBC Persian’s investigation reveals that this is not true.
Reza Shafakhah, a lawyer in Iran who has been following the situation of transgender prisoners, told the BBC: “There are serious concerns about their situation. No-one knows where these prisoners are now.”
Left to right: Arvin Mohammadi, Mehrangiz Imenpoir and Masoud Behbahani were among those killed [BBC / Supplied]
Why target Evin?
Israel alleged the prison was being used for “intelligence operations [against it], including counter-espionage”. It has not responded to questions from the BBC about the exact targets or weapons used, or whether it anticipated civilian deaths.
A month after the attack, Amnesty International published a report into the incident.
“Directing attacks at civilian objects is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. Carrying out such attacks knowingly and deliberately constitutes a war crime,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty.
The UN human rights office stated Evin was “not a military objective” and the attack violated international humanitarian law.
The “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot, who is originally from Israel, is lashing out at the public for staying silent about the women who are currently being raped and kidnapped by Hamas.
“The world has failed the women of October 7th,”
Gal Gadot Continues Speaking Up for Victims: If anyone missed it, the Israeli actress slammed the so-called “Women Rights” organizations over their deafening silence and defacto rape apologia—voicing the unheard voices for the… pic.twitter.com/LHjn3lSDkh
“The world has failed the women of October 7th. We claim we stand against rape, violence against women,” Gadot wrote on Instagram. “We will not let women be victimized and then silenced. We say we believe women, stand with women, speak out for women.”
“On October 7th, the world witnessed Hamas carrying out its violent plans in real-time. Within hours of the October 7th attack, the first blood-chilling video emerged of Shani Louk being paraded naked and defiled by her proud assailants,” she continued. “Yet two months later women are still hostage to these rapists and the world has failed to call this situation what it is: an urgent emergency that demands a decisive response.”
“This is our moment as women and allies of women to act,” Gadot concluded. “I am beseeching all those who have done so much for women’s rights globally — from the U.N., to the human rights community to please join in the demand that Hamas release every single woman hostage immediately not after the next round of international mediation, not after another day. These women cannot survive another moment of this horror.”
Daily Mail reported that Gadot took to her Instagram back in October to sound off about the situation in her home country.
“Whoever can and wiling to donate, these people’s lives changed forever yesterday,” she stated. “They’ve lost so much and need help. Only if you can. If you have less empathy towards victims because of how you feel about their government, propaganda is working on you.”
“The goal of propaganda is to dehumanize. It works to dehumanize Israelis and works to dehumanize Gazans,” Gadot continued. “I like to think most of us are above propaganda. But this weekend reminded me how widespread it is. Because a lot of people reacted to this violence with justification, not empathy. I guess it’s not surprising but it’s still heartbreaking.”
“Propaganda is everywhere. It seeps into us over time. It seeks to block our empathy receptors. So when we see violence, we rationalize away our human response,” she concluded. “Killing innocent Palestinians is horrific. Killing innocent Israelis is horrific. If you don’t feel the same I think you should ask yourself why that is.”
Reuters reported that Gadot served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for two years, a stint which included participation in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. This led to Lebanon banning the Wonder Woman movie starring Gadot when it was released in 2017.
Last month, Gadot denied rumors that she had rejoined the IDF in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“She has not joined the Army in 2023,” her representative said.
This comes at a time in which much of Hollywood is staying silent about what is happening between Israel and Hamas. What do you think of Gadot’s remarks? Let us know in the comments section.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust. The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”
Even in the darkness, the utter devastation in northern Gaza is clear as day. The empty shells of buildings, illuminated by the last shreds of light, lurch out of the landscape on the dirt roads across the Gaza Strip. At night, the only signs of life are the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicles that rumble the landscape, tightening the military’s grip on the northern sector.
On Saturday night, we traveled with the IDF into Gaza to see the newly exposed tunnel shaft discovered at the compound of Al-Shifa Hospital, the enclave’s largest medical facility.
After crossing the border fence at around 9:00 in the evening, our convoy of Humvees turned off its lights, relying on night vision goggles to traverse the Gaza Strip. We would spend the next six hours inside Gaza, much of that time spent getting back and forth from the tunnel shaft.
Along our path, virtually every building bore the scars of wartime damage. Many structures were destroyed entirely, while others were hardly recognizable as anything more than twisted metal. If there was life here, it had long since departed. Residents had either moved south or been killed during six weeks of war.
Soon after crossing the border into Gaza, the convoy of Humvees turned off its lights and traveled in darkness. – Oren Liebermann/CNN
Our first stop was a location on the beach where the IDF had set up a staging area. From there, we moved into armored personnel carriers with several other reporters for the last kilometer to the hospital. The only view outside came through a night-vision screen. But even in black and white, the level of destruction was shocking.
Inside Gaza City, the skeletal remains of apartment towers and high-rise buildings packed the otherwise vacant city streets. Even if we could speak to Palestinians while embedded with the IDF, there was no one around to talk to.
CNN reported from inside Gaza under IDF media escort at all times. As a condition for journalists to join this embed, media outlets had to submit footage filmed in Gaza to the Israeli military for review and agreed not to reveal sensitive locations and soldiers’ identities. CNN retained editorial control over the final report.
As we stepped out of the armored vehicle, we were enveloped by utter darkness. We were only allowed to use our red lights to navigate to a nearby building, where we waited until Israeli forces already on the ground secured the area. The tunnel shaft was very close by, but it was entirely exposed.
The commander in charge of our group, Lt. Col. Tom said this tunnel is significantly larger than others he had seen before. “This is a big tunnel,” he said. “I have encountered tunnels — in 2014 in [Operation] Protective Edge, I was a company commander — and this tunnel is an order of magnitude bigger than a standard tunnel.”
We had expected to hear fighting once we entered Gaza City itself. Instead, we heard almost complete silence. Only once during our roughly 45 minutes at the hospital did we hear the distant sound of small arms fire, and it was impossible to tell how far away it was in the midst of an urban environment. The rest of the time, the silence made the darkness feel even more oppressive.
The only view of the destruction in Gaza was through a small night vision monitor in an armored personnel carrier. – Oren Liebermann/CNN
It was nearing midnight as we walked the last few feet to the exposed tunnel shaft. The IDF had promised “concrete evidence” that Hamas was using the hospital complex above ground as cover for what it called terror infrastructure underneath, including a command and control hub.
Several days earlier, the IDF had released what it said was the first batch of evidence, which included weapons and ammunition they said they found inside the hospital itself. But the pictures were a far cry from proving that Hamas had a facility underneath, and a CNN investigation found that some of the guns had been moved around.
The discovery of the tunnel shaft the next day was more compelling, showing an entrance to something underground. But even then, it was unclear what it was or how far down it went. This is what everyone has been trying to understand.
Standing on the edge of the tunnel shaft, it was apparent that the structure itself was substantial. At the top, the remains of a ladder hung over the lip of the opening. In the center of the round shaft, a center pole looked like a hub for a spiral staircase. The shaft itself extended down farther than we could see, especially in the meager light of our headlamps.
Video released by the IDF from inside the shaft showed what we could not see from the top of the opening. The video shows a spiral staircase leading down into a concrete tunnel. The IDF said the tunnel shaft extends downwards approximately 10 meters and the tunnel runs for 55 meters. At its end stands a metal door with a small window.
“We need to demolish the underground facility that we found,” said IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “I think the leadership of Hamas is in great pressure because we found this facility, and we are now going to demolish it. It’s going to take us time. We’re going to do it safely, but we’re going to do it.”
It is arguably the most compelling evidence thus far that the IDF has offered that there may be a network of tunnels below the hospital. It does not establish without a doubt that there is a command center under Gaza’s largest hospital, but it is clear that there is a tunnel down below. Seeing what connects to that tunnel is absolutely critical.
For Israel, the stakes could not be higher. Israel has publicly asserted for weeks, if not years, that Hamas has built terror infrastructure below the hospital. The ability to continue to prosecute the war in the face of mounting international criticism depends to a large extent on Israel being able to prove this point.
Hamas has repeatedly denied that there is a network of tunnels below Shifa hospital. Health officials who have spoken with CNN have said the same, insisting it is only a medical facility.
As is so rarely the case in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this answer truly is black and white. Either there is an underground series of tunnels below the hospital. Or there is not.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
(Bloomberg) — Israel released video it says proves its assertion of a Hamas tunnel beneath Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, which the military raided last week amid broad international criticism. The footage shows an opening to a fortified tunnel that the military said is 10 meters (33 feet) deep and 55 meters long leading to a blast-proof door.
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A deal for Hamas to release hostages taken during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel may be the closest yet and would require a multiday pause in the fighting, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said.
Israel’s government said on Sunday that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, endangering a key global shipping route. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 13,000, Hamas said.
For more stories on the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
Israel’s cabinet is expected to discuss negotiations to free hostages held by Hamas, Ynet reported. Prior to the Sunday night meeting, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office released photographs of him surrounded by officials involved in the negotiations, including the head of the Mossad intelligence agency, the news website said. An Israeli official said that a deal isn’t expected today, Ynet reported.
Hamas Chief Returns to Hostage Talks, Axios Reports (9:42 p.m.)
Hamas’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, has re-engaged in talks on a hostage release, Axios reported. He’s agreed in principle to increase the number of women and children to be freed to more than 50, Axios said, citing three unnamed sources. Sinwar wants in return the release of all Palestinian women and children in Israeli prisons and a six-hour daily halt in Israeli aerial surveillance of Gaza during a pause in fighting.
Axios quoted two of the sources as saying that Qatari mediators have narrowed the differences but not enough for a deal.
Israel Says Hostage Was Killed in Shifa Hospital Complex (9:10 p.m.)
An Israeli hostage, whose body was recovered a few days ago in Gaza, was taken alive by Hamas to Shifa Hospital and killed there, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing. Hagari also presented camera footage that showed that two non-Israeli hostages, a Nepali and a Thai, were taken to Shifa Hospital by gunmen on Oct. 7. An additional photograph showed that an Israeli military vehicle that was stolen during the attack was taken to Shifa Hospital.
“These findings add to previous evidence presented regarding Hamas’ use of the hospital area as infrastructure for its terrorist activities in a systematic and ongoing manner,” the IDF said.
Palestinian Death Toll Rises Above 13,000, Hamas Says (8:30 p.m.)
The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 13,000, the Hamas-run government media office said.
More than 5,500 children are among the dead and more than 6,000 people are reported missing or trapped under rubble. Injuries exceed 30,000.
Israel Says It Arrested Over 100 Hamas Operatives in Gaza (8:02 p.m.)
Israeli troops have arrested more than 100 Hamas operatives in Gaza and transferred them to Israel for questioning, the military said. Three took part in the Oct. 7 massacre. The Hamas militants disclosed the locations of underground tunnels, storage compounds and weaponry, as well as operating methods used by the organization.
Israel Says Iran-Backed Rebels Seize Cargo Ship (7:57 p.m.)
Israel’s government said on Sunday that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, endangering a key global shipping route.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned the seizure of what it said was a vessel owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, without naming either of those.
The vessel, named Galaxy Leader, is owned by Israeli businessman Rami Ungar, according to a person familiar with the matter. It is registered in the UK.
Israeli Army Says It Uncovered Fortified Tunnel Under Al-Shifa Hospital (7 p.m.)
Israel said it has exposed a 10-meter deep, 55-meter-long fortified tunnel underneath the Shifa hospital complex.
The Israel Defense Forces released a video showing a deep staircase leading to the entrance to the tunnel shaft. The tunnel leads to a blast-proof door with a firing hole. This type of door is used by Hamas to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas, the military said. Forces are continuing to uncover the route of the tunnel, it said.
The tunnel shaft was uncovered in the area of the hospital under a shed alongside a vehicle containing numerous weapons including RPGs, explosives and Kalashnikov rifles, the IDF said.
Hostage Deal is Closer, Biden Aide Says (4 p.m.)
An agreement for Hamas to release hostages taken during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel may be the closest yet and would require a multiday pause in the fighting in Gaza, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said.
Read more: Deal to Free Hamas Hostages Has Gotten Closer, Biden Aide Says
Gaza needs 160,000 liters (42,000 gallons) of fuel daily to maintain “a reasonable level of humanitarian services,” said Adnan Abu Hassna, United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokesman.
The fuel is needed for water desalination, sewage treatment plants, wells and hospitals, as well as hundreds of vehicles for UNRWA’s operations. Israel said it would allow entry of nearly 70,000 liters of fuel per day, according to OCHA.
Hundreds of Gaza Cancer Patients Will Head to Turkey (1:35 p.m.)
Some 351 cancer patients in Gaza will travel to Turkey to resume treatment, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
The patients had been receiving treatment at the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only oncology hospital in Gaza, which was shut down shortly after the start of Israel’s ground assault.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said it evacuated 31 premature babies from Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza in coordination with the World Health Organization and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. They’ll be transferred to a UAE-run hospital in the Egyptian border city of Rafah.
Iran’s Khamenei Repeats Call to Isolate Israel (12:35 p.m.)
Iran’s Supreme Leader urged Muslim countries to cut off diplomatic ties with Israel “at least for a limited time.”
“Some Muslim states have ostensibly condemned Israel in conventions and some haven’t, but this is unacceptable,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday, according to his Telegram account. “The principal task is to cut off Israel’s lifelines, and Muslim governments must stop the supply of energy and goods to this regime.”
Qatar Sees ‘Good Progress’ in Reaching a Hostage Deal (11:36 a.m.)
Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said there’s been “good progress” in the past few days on reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release hostages.
Al Thani, who’s also the foreign minister, said he’s “more confident” about sealing a deal, with the remaining challenges “practical and logistical.” He spoke at a joint press conference with European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
Israel Says It Raids Residences of Senior Hamas Officials in Gaza (11 a.m.)
Israeli paratroopers and other forces operated in the Sheikh Ijlin and Rimal areas of northern Gaza “in order to identify and destroy Hamas infrastructure and assets,” the defense force said in an operational update.
“The soldiers located approximately 35 tunnel shafts as well as a large number of weapons and eliminated terrorists,” according to the update. “Embedded in the Rimal area are the residences of senior Hamas officials.”
The troops also located a military base belonging to Hamas’s military intelligence unit, as well as ammunition depots and seven rocket launchers. Israel’s claims can’t be independently verified.
Israeli Forces Engage Enemies in North and South (9 a.m.)
Israel’s air, sea and land forces fought enemies on two fronts early Sunday, destroying infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon and that of Hamas in Gaza, the military said.
Air-raid sirens blared in Israel’s southern and northern towns, while mortar shell launches from Lebanon fell in open areas. Hezbollah said it attacked two Israeli sites, the Iran-backed militant group’s Al Manar TV reported.
About 2,500 People Vacated Al Shifa Hospital, OCHA Says (3:11 a.m.)
Some 2,500 internally displaced persons, along with patients and staff, vacated Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital on Nov. 18, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. That followed orders from Israel’s military, which continued its operations within the compound for a fourth consecutive day, OCHA said.
About 123,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Nov. 18, according to the UN agency. Israel said it would allow entry of nearly 70,000 liters of fuel per day, which “is well below the minimum requirements for essential humanitarian operations,” according to OCHA.
