Fierce fighting in the Gaza tunnels – Thousands of civilians are heading south

Her capture of a Hamas strongholdafter hours of fighting, the Israeli army announced, claiming that it has brought the northern part of the Gaza Strip under its control. Hamas claims the Israelis bombed eight hospitals over the past three days, while sensationalizing videos of Palestinian prisoners admitting to using hospitals for their business.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in intense overnight Israeli shelling of the Jambaliya refugee camp in the north and in Sambra in western Gaza. Earlier, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the strike near the hospital in Tabaliyah killed at least 19 people and injured several others.

The Israeli army carried out strikes near Al Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza and one of the few still operating, according to Al Jazzera. The hospital was heavily damaged, as were the surrounding infrastructure, houses and roads. At least three people were killed and dozens injured after an early morning Israeli airstrike in the area of Al Nasr Hospital in western Gaza, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

The Israeli army, at the same time, publicizes the interrogation of members of Hamas who admit that its fighters hide in hospitals and use ambulances to avoid suspicion. “Why do we use ambulances? To avoid suspicion. Food, explosives, weapons are transported in ambulances. It’s safer. They don’t bomb them” emphasizes one of them.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, at least six people were killed after Israeli attack on an apartment building in the city of Bani Suheila, east of the city of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. Several injured in the attack were also taken to Nasser Hospital for treatment.

Israeli aircraft also bombed a bakery in the district Al Sayayaas well as various goals in Beit Lahiya. In a separate air strike in the early hours of Thursday, a house near the Sava square area of Gaza City was also hit and many people were injured. The injured victims were taken to Al Shifa Hospital.

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The Israel Defense Forces claim that troops of the Nahal Infantry Brigade captured a Hamas stronghold, known as Outpost 17, in western Jambaliya after 10 hours of fighting. The soldiers battled Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives at the stronghold, who were also “above ground and underground route in the area». According to the IDF, dozens of terrorists were killed during the fighting.

They argue that the troops they located many weapons and uncovered tunnels, including one that was next to a kindergarten. Troops also found “significant” Hamas battle plans at Outpost 17.

Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip also identified a Hamas drone factory and a weapons cache inside a housing complex. The IDF still claims that its troops recovered a number of bombs at the site. Adjacent to the construction area and weapons storage is a children’s bedroomthe IDF claims.

At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces claim that they killed a senior Hamas commander, responsible for the group’s anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) operations in central Gaza. In a joint statement with the Shin Bet security service, the IDF says Ibrahim Abu Magshib was the head of Hamas’ ATGM array in the so-called central camp brigade.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallad said on Wednesday that his forces “they tighten the strangulation cord” around Gaza City as they continue their offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians. The militants also took more than 240 people hostage, including babies and the elderly. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel retaliated with relentless bombing and a ground invasion which according to the Hamas health ministry in Gaza have killed more than 10,500 peoplemany of them children.

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Eight dead in the West Bank

Eight Palestinians were killed today during an Israeli army raid in Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bankthe Palestinian Authority’s health ministry announced, revising its previous report.

Initially, the ministry had spoken of five dead and later for six from that raid, during which another 13 Palestinians were injured.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that a “significant force of the occupation army” raided Jenin. The Israeli army for its part pointed out that his forces are operating in Jenin, without giving further details.

As of October 7, the IDF maintains that troops have arrested approximately 1,430 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 900 linked to Hamas.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health, more than 155 West Bank Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7.

New corridor for civilians

After more than a month of intense shelling, hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in a “dire humanitarian situation” in combat zones without enough food and water, the United Nations said.

The Israeli military stated that 50,000 people left their homes in the main battle zone of northern Gaza on Wednesday, a sharp increase in the number since the beginning of the week. “They are leaving because they understand that Hamas has lost control in the north and the south is saferIsraeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

Israel Defense Forces Arabic-speaking Spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee says Israel reopened a corridor for Gaza civilians to the north of the Strip to escape south between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 p.m.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the prospect of a cease-fire in Gaza. On Wednesday he repeated his refusal, saying there would be no ceasefire unless the hostages held in Gaza were released.

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Source: AFP, Times Of Israel, Al Jazzera