The Israeli army claimed this Sunday (17) to have discovered them largest underground tunnel erected by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where Israel continued to carry out bombings despite repeated calls for a ceasefire.
“This huge tunnel network, which is divided into several segments, has an extent of more than 4 km and extends up to 400 meters from the Erez border crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Destroying the Palestinian Islamist group's complex network of tunnels is one of the goals of the Israeli military offensive on Palestinian territory 18,800 peopleaccording to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
After Hamas attacks on October 7, in which about 1,140 people lost their lives, Israel began bombings and a ground operation.
According to an AFP reporter authorized to enter the tunnel, it is equipped with pipes, electricity, sewage systems, ventilation and tracks.
Hamas has built a network 1,300 tunnels according to an estimate by the Institute of Modern Warfare at the American Military Academy at West Point.
Internal and international pressure
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is under increasing pressure, especially since it was announced on Friday (15) that this was the case Soldiers “accidentally” killed three hostagesafter mistaking them for Palestinian fighters.
The three hostages were among around 250 people captured in the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil. At least 129 remain captive in the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of people demonstrated Tel Aviv on Saturday. They then camped outside the Defense Ministry headquarters and demanded the return of their families.
“Many civilians die” said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on a trip to Israel, where she called for “a new immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen reiterated his government's position that a ceasefire is necessary “A gift for Hamas.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be in Israel, Bahrain and Qatar this week to reaffirm “Washington's commitment to.” Strengthening regional security and stability“.
In recent days, the United States, Israel's main ally, has called for a “lower intensity” phase of the Israeli operation to protect civilians.
The head of British diplomacy, David Cameron, and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, also called for a “permanent ceasefire“, in a text published in the Sunday Times.
Bloodbath
In the north of the strip a thick smoke was seen this Sunday after the Israeli bombings.
The Hamas Ministry of Health reported 24 deaths in the Hamas refugee camp. Jabaliya. Many are still “under the rubble”.
At least twelve people were killed in further bombings in the city Deir al Balah, in the center of Palestinian territory. Witnesses also reported airstrikes in the southern town of Bani Suheila and AFPTV observed heavy fighting in Gaza City.
The emergency room at AlShifa Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip is closed.a bloodbath“Hundreds of patients and new injuries are added every minute,” said the World Health Organization (WHO).
Israeli attacks have devastated much of the territory, and the UN appreciates that 1.9 million Gazans were forced to leave their homes.
At the end of the Angelus prayer, the pope lamented the deaths of two women on Saturday in a Catholic community in Gaza, saying that there were “defenseless civilians” in the area who were the target of shootings and bombings.
Telecommunications in the Palestinian territory resumed on Sunday afternoon after being disrupted on Thursday.
“Bring the hostages back to life”
During a Qatarsponsored weeklong ceasefire in November, more than 100 captured Israelis and foreigners were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. But for Netanyahu it is necessary”Maintain military pressure“to bring the hostages and put an end to Hamas.”
Qatar confirmed yesterday that it was making “diplomatic efforts to restore a humanitarian pause.” According to the news site Axios, the head of Israeli intelligence, David Barnea, met on Friday (15) with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, who took part in the previous ceasefire negotiations.
Hamas rejects “any negotiation.”if “the aggression against our people does not stop completely,” he reported on Telegram.
Outside the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority on Sunday mourned the deaths of five Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where violence has increased sharply since the conflict began.