The Israeli army claims to have discovered “the largest tunnel dug by Hamas” under the Gaza Strip on Sunday, December 17th. “This vast network of tunnels, divided into several branches, stretches for more than four kilometers and is located just 400 meters from the Erez border crossing” between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. They also claim to have discovered a large number of weapons there, ready to be used in the event of a Hamas attack. Follow our live stream.
“Too many civilians are being killed,” says the French Foreign Minister. France is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Gaza and calls for “a new immediate and permanent ceasefire,” said Catherine Colonna after an interview with her Israeli counterpart in Tel Aviv on Sunday, December 17. She also called for the victims of Hamas attacks not to be forgotten. The head of French diplomacy then has to meet the families of the hostages.
Telecommunications partially restored in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian operator Paltel reported in a press release the “gradual restoration” of the network in the center and south of the territory, which has been down since Thursday.
A hospital in need of “revival.” The emergency room at Al-Chifa Hospital in northern Gaza, which was destroyed by Israeli bombing, is “a bloodbath,” the WHO wrote on Sunday. A team from the World Health Organization and other UN agencies was able to deliver medical equipment to the hospital on Saturday, where “tens of thousands of displaced people” were seeking shelter, a WHO press release highlights.
The Gaza Strip is still being bombed. Israel launched new attacks on the Gaza Strip on Sunday. At least twelve people were killed in Israeli attacks on the city of Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas Health Ministry said. Witnesses also reported an Israeli bombardment on the southern town of Bani Suheila.