Tunnel with electricity and ventilation
Israel: Found Hamas leader’s hideout
December 30, 2023, 1:49 a.m
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Not far from Gaza City, Israel says it is destroying a hideout belonging to Hamas leader Jihia Sinwar. The facility, located at a depth of 20 meters, was therefore comfortably equipped. In Khan Yunis, however, the army is expanding its operations.
The Israeli military says it has found and destroyed one of the hideouts of Hamas leader Jihia Sinwar in the Gaza Strip. The army said the house was near the city of Gaza in the northern part of the sealed-off coastal strip. Sinwar is now believed to be in Khan Yunis in the southeast of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas stronghold is currently a focal point of Israel’s current ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The discovery and destruction of the suspected hideout near the city of Gaza occurred “in the past few weeks,” according to the statement in which the army reported it for the first time. The Israeli soldiers came across a tunnel entrance in the basement of the house. This led to underground passages 20 meters deep and 218 meters long. According to the information, the tunnel had electricity, ventilation and sewage. Prayer and relaxation rooms would also have been included.
The facility was designed for long stays and could also serve as a command center. After a thorough examination of the tunnel, the military unit responsible for it destroyed it. The information could not initially be independently verified. Sinwar is considered one of the planners of the massacre in which Hamas and other organizations killed around 1,200 people in Israel on October 7th. The worst bloodbath in Israel’s history was the trigger for the Gaza War.
Israel increases operations in Khan Yunis
Meanwhile, Israel’s army says it is expanding its operations in the area around the city of Khan Yunis. The military announced this in a statement. Regarding the operations in the area around Khan Yunis, the Israeli army said: “The soldiers eliminated terrorist cells with the help of artillery, air and tank troops.” Emergency services also found explosives in the apartments of members of the Islamist Hamas. Buildings equipped with explosive devices were destroyed. According to reports, soldiers also found a number of tunnels and weapons in the area. The military’s information could not initially be independently verified.
According to the health authority in the Gaza Strip, which is subordinate to Hamas, 187 people were killed in Israeli attacks within one day. The authority said 312 Palestinians were also injured. The total number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war rose to 21,507. The number was last given as 21,320 on Thursday.
According to the latest information, 55,915 more people were injured in the Gaza war. The figures cannot currently be confirmed, but the UN and other observers point out that the authority’s figures have proven to be overall credible in the past. Meanwhile, at the UN Security Council in New York, a UN representative emphasized that the humanitarian situation had continued to deteriorate despite the UN resolution passed a week ago to increase aid to the Gaza Strip.
South Africa is suing Israel
South Africa accuses Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip before the United Nations’ highest court. The lawsuit filed with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague also calls for Israel to stop its attacks in Gaza, the ICJ said. South Africa claimed that the actions of the Israeli armed forces had a “genocidal character” as they were aimed at the extermination of Palestinians in the area.
Israel immediately and firmly rejected South Africa’s accusation. “South Africa’s lawsuit has no basis in fact or in law,” said a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry on X. Lawyers in The Hague assume that there could be an initial hearing on South Africa’s claims within a few weeks. If the ICJ then opens corresponding proceedings, it could still be years before a verdict is reached.