IAccording to an Israeli army spokesman, the Israeli army is now using explosives to kill Hamas terrorists in tunnels under the Gaza Strip. “We have new fighting methods that we will use to kill terrorists,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Thursday evening. Hamas terrorists, especially their leaders, hid in their underground tunnels. Hajjari said: „We will penetrate and plant explosives in places where we know terrorists are frequently present, and wait for the right moment to kill them underground.” „Terrorists will not be safe underground.”
Underneath the Gaza Strip there is a whole network of tunnels stretching for several kilometers, where, according to Israel, many terrorists from the Islamic movement Hamas are hiding and are also holding hostages from Israel there. To resist Israeli bombs from the air, some tunnels extend tens of meters underground. At the same time, terrorists use them to appear out of nowhere and attack from behind. Many of the tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers who enter them. Meanwhile, the war may be decided in these tunnels.
All developments in the live stream:
5:41 AM – The body of another hostage is recovered in Gaza
The Israeli army announced that it had found the body of another hostage who was kidnapped from Israel to the Gaza Strip. The army said that the body was returned to Israel and identified there. Accordingly, he is a 28-year-old man who was kidnapped by Hamas during the massacre committed by the Islamist Hamas and other groups in Israel and transferred to Gaza. His family was said to have been informed. The army did not initially provide any information about the cause of death.
The army recently announced that the number of people still detained in Gaza is 135. It is unclear whether the hostages who have since been declared dead have been included in the list. Israeli soldiers have already recovered several bodies in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on Gaza.
3:31 AM – White House says: “I don’t want to show Hamas what’s coming.”
White House spokesman John Kirby explains to reporters why US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has not specified a timetable for reducing the intensity of fighting in the Gaza Strip. “The last thing we want to do is show Hamas what they will face in the coming weeks and months,” Kirby said.
Sullivan told Israeli TV Channel 12 that he had constructive discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel moving to a more nuanced phase of hostilities, but declined to provide details.
1:51 am – renewed bombardment on northern Gaza neighborhoods
As darkness fell, Israeli tank and aircraft bombardment increased again in the neighborhoods of Al-Shuja’iya, Al-Zaytoun, and Al-Daraj in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to residents. The Palestinian Health Authority said that four people, including two children, were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli air strike on a house in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
12:41 AM – Israeli President Herzog is against the two-state solution
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke against the two-state solution after the end of the war against the Islamic movement Hamas. Herzog said in an interview with the Associated Press news agency on Thursday that now is not the right time to talk about establishing an independent Palestinian state while the pain of the terrorist attack launched by Hamas on October 7 in his country is still fresh in his mind. There is an “emotional disconnect” that must be dealt with. “My nation has been robbed. My nation is shocked,” Herzog said.
In order to return to the idea of dividing the country, negotiating peace, or talking to the Palestinians, the emotional trauma that Israel is suffering must first be addressed. In addition, “the need and desire for a complete sense of security for all people” must be taken into account, Herzog emphasized.
10:37 PM – Israel increases the budget for the war against Hamas with a supplementary budget
Israel significantly increased the budget for the war against the extremist Islamic movement Hamas in a supplementary budget for 2023. Parliament approved additional funding of about 30 billion shekels (about 7.4 billion euros) on Thursday by a majority of 59 votes to 44 votes. NIS 17 billion has been allocated to the war, while the rest goes to support civilians affected by the conflict.
Local communities in the south of the country are particularly affected by Hamas attacks from the Gaza Strip. The money will also flow to residents on the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, who are subject to missile attacks from the Lebanese Hezbollah militia on an almost daily basis. The support provided to the civilian population aims to increase security measures and finance emergency shelters, hospitals and emergency services.
10:33 PM – Netanyahu demands that the Red Cross deliver medicines to the hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Red Cross to exert more pressure to reach Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip. “You have every opportunity, every right, and every expectation to put public pressure on Hamas,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoliaric, in Tel Aviv on Thursday. He handed her a package of medicines and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to „accomplish its mission and deliver them to the hostages in Gaza.”
Spoljaric had previously written on Platform X that „the Red Cross must be given permission to make visits.” However, “practical details” must be agreed between the parties. “I repeat: the hostages must be released – immediately,” she repeated.
During the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas a few weeks ago, the ICRC organized the transfer of the released hostages from the Gaza Strip to Egypt or directly to Israel. The organization did not participate in the relevant negotiations. The Red Cross has not yet been given direct access to the abducted persons. Israel has repeatedly accused the organization of not doing enough for the hostages. Last week, Spoliaric visited the Gaza Strip.
10:28 PM – Biden: Israel should focus on protecting civilians
US President Joe Biden called on Israel to be “more cautious” in military action in the Gaza Strip. I want them to focus on how to save civilian lives. “They should not stop persecuting Hamas, but they should be more careful,” Biden said on Thursday. The US President commented on the costs of prescription drugs on the sidelines of an event. In response to a journalist’s question about whether he wants Israel to reduce its attacks in the Gaza Strip.