IDF video ‘reveals underground tunnel which was discovered inside mosque’

The IDF has launched a video that it claims reveals Hamas utilizing mosques to cover underground tunnels in Gaza.  

The IDF video reveals a deep tunnel in a constructing that Israeli troopers declare is a mosque, and cuts to a number of extra examples of tunnels that it says Hamas is utilizing within the bloodiest battle within the Middle East in a long time. 

It additionally reveals IDF troopers blowing up the tunnels, and was shared with the caption: ‘IDF troops eradicated 500 of the 800+ uncovered shafts to Hamas’ underground tunnels positioned close to or inside kindergartens, faculties, playgrounds and mosques. 

‘To be clear, these locations aren’t childproof, however somewhat teeming with terrorism. 

‘Every tunnel shaft and weapon we discover is additional proof of how Hamas intentionally makes use of the residents of Gaza for his or her terrorist agenda in opposition to Israelis.’

Israel is at present pushing its offensive from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip, bombing extra areas in and across the enclave’s second metropolis, Khan Younis, shortly after warning civilians. 

The IDF insists that Hamas’ management is hiding within the south of the nation, which earlier than the warfare was house to round 1 / 4 of Gaza’s inhabitants, however Palestinians in Gaza mentioned they have been operating out of locations to go.

The Gaza Strip, bordering Israel and Egypt, is at present sealed, and most of the territory’s 2.3 million individuals are crammed within the south after Israel ordered civilians to go away the north within the early days of the warfare, sparked by Hamas’ lethal incursion on October 7 that killed 1,200 folks, 

Heavy bombardment was reported in a single day into Sunday round Khan Younis and the southern metropolis of Rafah, in addition to components of the north that had been the main target of Israel’s shattering air and floor offensive. 

Juliette Toma, director of communications on the U.N. company for Palestinian refugees, mentioned practically 958,000 displaced folks have been in 99 United Nations amenities within the southern Gaza Strip.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk urged an finish to the warfare, saying civilian struggling was ‘an excessive amount of to bear.’

Hopes for an additional non permanent truce have been fading. A weeklong cease-fire that expired Friday had facilitated the discharge of just below half of the roughly 240 Gaza-held Israeli and overseas hostages in alternate for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But Israel has known as its negotiators house.

‘We will proceed the warfare till we obtain all its objectives, and it is not possible to realize these objectives with out the bottom operation,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Saturday night. One aim is to take away Hamas from energy in Gaza.

It was not clear how many individuals had been killed for the reason that finish of the cease-fire.

On Sunday, Israel’s navy widened evacuation orders in and round Khan Younis, telling residents of not less than 5 extra areas and neighborhoods to go away. 

Residents mentioned the navy dropped leaflets ordering them to maneuver south to the border metropolis of Rafah or to a coastal space within the southwest. ‘Khan Younis metropolis is a harmful fight zone,’ leaflets learn.

But Halima Abdel-Rahman, a widow and mom of 4, mentioned she will not heed such orders anymore. 

She fled her house in October to an space exterior Khan Younis, the place she stays with family.

‘The occupation tells you to go to this space, then they bomb it,’ she mentioned by cellphone. ‘The actuality is that no place is secure in Gaza. They kill folks within the north. They kill folks within the south.’

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has advised Israel to keep away from important new mass displacement and do extra to guard civilians. 

US Vice President Kamala Harris additionally advised Egypt’s president that ‘on no account’ would the US allow the pressured relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, an ongoing siege of Gaza or the redrawing of its borders.

On the bottom in Gaza, there was frustration and mourning. Outside a Gaza City hospital, a dust-covered boy named Saaed Khalid Shehta dropped to his knees beside the bloodied physique of his little brother Mohammad, certainly one of a number of our bodies laid out after folks mentioned their road was hit by airstrikes. He kissed him.

‘You bury me with him!’ the boy cried. A well being employee at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital mentioned greater than 15 youngsters have been killed.

Israel’s navy mentioned its fighter jets and helicopters ‘struck terror targets within the Gaza Strip, together with terror tunnel shafts, command facilities and weapons storage amenities’ in a single day, whereas a drone killed 5 Hamas fighters.

The our bodies of 31 folks killed in Israeli bombardment throughout central Gaza have been taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, mentioned Omar al-Darawi, a hospital administrative worker. 

Video confirmed our bodies in baggage exterior the hospital as dozens of individuals held funeral prayers. One lady wept, cradling a toddler’s physique on her lap. Another carried the physique of a child.

The fundamental hospital in Khan Younis acquired not less than three lifeless and dozens wounded Sunday from an Israeli strike that hit a residential constructing within the japanese a part of town. 

In northern Gaza, rescue groups with little gear dug by way of the rubble of buildings within the Jabaliya city refugee camp and different Gaza City neighborhoods.

‘They strike all over the place,’ mentioned Amal Radwan, a lady sheltering in Jabaliya. ‘There is the nonstop sound of explosions round us.’

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza mentioned Sunday the general demise toll within the strip since Oct. 7 had surpassed 15,500, a pointy leap from the earlier depend of greater than 13,300 on November 20. 

The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, however mentioned 70% of the lifeless have been ladies and kids. It mentioned greater than 40,000 folks had been wounded.

‘Too many harmless Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the size of civilian struggling and the pictures and movies coming from Gaza are devastating,’ the US vp mentioned Saturday.

Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, mentioned Israel was making ‘most effort’ to guard civilians and the navy has used leaflets, cellphone calls, and radio and TV broadcasts to induce Gazans to maneuver from particular areas.

Israel says it targets Hamas operatives and blames civilian casualties on the militants, accusing them of working in residential neighborhoods. 

It claims to have killed 1000’s of militants, with out offering proof. Israel says not less than 78 of its troopers have been killed within the offensive in northern Gaza.

The renewed hostilities have heightened issues for 137 hostages, who the Israeli navy says are nonetheless being held after 105 have been freed in the course of the latest truce. 

Israel freed 240 Palestinians in the course of the truce. Most of these launched by each side have been ladies and kids.

Israel’s authorities is underneath stress to barter further releases. The households of hostages have known as for an pressing assembly with the Security Cabinet, saying time was ‘operating out to save lots of these nonetheless held by Hamas.’

Fears of a wider battle continued. Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group mentioned it struck Israeli positions close to the tense Lebanon-Israel border as clashes between the Iran-backed group and Israeli navy resumed. 

11 folks – eight troopers and three civilians – have been injured from Hezbollah fireplace within the space of Beit Hillel, military radio reported.