Israeli military releases footage of alleged tunnel beneath al-Shifa Hospital
The Israeli Army has released video footage that it says provides the first definitive proof of a highly sophisticated Hamas tunnel network beneath the Dar Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City.
A booby-trapped pickup truck was discovered in a garage inside the medical complex's walls by troops stationed outside the in-patient building at Al-Shifa, according to a statement released by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Sunday. It reported that a tunnel beneath the garage floor was exposed when it was destroyed in a controlled explosion.
Army robots captured images on November 16 and 17, showing an about 10-meter-long tunnel shaft with a flimsy circular stairway leading to a 55-meter-long tunnel.
The tunnel has electrical wires running through it and slopes downhill to a blast-proof door with a small gap for firing weapons through. According to the IDF, it hasn't gone beyond the door yet.
31 premature babies evacuated from Gaza’s largest hospital
Health officials said that 31 premature babies in "extremely critical condition" were safely moved from Gaza's main hospital on Sunday and are heading to Egypt. When Israeli forces entered the compound to search for Hamas operations, more than 250 patients with seriously infected wounds and other urgent conditions remained stranded for days.
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Urgent care was being given to the infants from the hospital in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where supplies ran out and power was cut off while Israeli soldiers fought Palestinian militants outside. The head of Gaza hospitals, Mohamed Zaqout, stated that in certain cases, they had infection, hypothermia, and dehydration. He added that in the two days prior to the evacuation, four more babies passed away.
The majority of the patients that remained had burns, amputations, or other traumas, according to a World Health Organisation team that visited Shifa. Plans are being made to evacuate them, in the next few days.
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Hamas releases four hostages, Israel rescues one; hopeful for deal in coming days
On the Israeli side, some 1,200 people have died, mostly civilians, in the attack that occurred on October 7, during which Hamas dragged about 240 hostages back into Gaza. According to the military, 63 Israeli soldiers have died, with 12 of the deaths occurring in the last 24 hours.
Four hostages have been released by Hamas, one has been rescued by Israel, and two hostages' bodies have been discovered close to Shifa.
For weeks, negotiations to free the hostages have been taking place between Israel, the US, and Qatar, which acts as a mediator with Hamas. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, stated that the issues were "more practical, logistical."
“We are hopeful that we can get a significant number of hostages freed in the coming days,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog, told ABC’s “This Week.”
The relatives of the hostages and Israel's three-member war cabinet are going to meet on Monday evening.
(Photos: AP)
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