News blog about the war in the Middle East
At a depth of 50 meters: the largest Hamas tunnel to date discovered
From afp, dpa, Reuters, das, jcz, lw, sic, te, fho, lec, mam
Updated on December 17, 2023 – 6:35 p.m. Reading time: 43 min.
Network under the Gaza Strip: Israel’s army says it has discovered the terrorist organization Hamas’ largest tunnel to date. (Source: Ariel Schalit/ap-bilder)
Several Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting. The hostages shot by Israel’s army carried white flags. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel on October 7 and carried out massacres. Since then, Israel has been attacking targets in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. This news blog informs you about the current developments:
First aid convoy passes Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza
6.35 p.m.: The first aid convoy entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday via the Israeli border crossing at Kerem Shalom. A representative of the Egyptian Red Crescent said 79 trucks were on their way to the Palestinian territory. Israel said on Friday that it would “temporarily” allow the delivery of humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip via the border post.
Kerem Shalom had previously been used to check trucks before they were sent on to the city of Rafah, on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Rafah has so far been the only crossing through which aid supplies have reached the Palestinian territory.
Communications services in Gaza are being restored
5:52 p.m.: According to the provider, telecommunications services in the southern and central areas of the contested Gaza Strip are currently being gradually restored after several days of outages. Work is also underway to restore services in the city of Gaza and in the north of the Palestinian coastal area, the West Bank-based company Paltel said on the X platform. The main damage has been repaired.
Communications and internet services were down on Thursday. The organization NetBlocks, which is known for monitoring internet closures, also confirmed on Sunday on Platform X that internet connectivity would be restored in parts of the Gaza Strip. The interruption of internet service was the longest since the start of the Gaza war.
Battles between Hezbollah and the Israeli army
5:45 p.m.: Israel is shelling positions and facilities belonging to the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah and says it is retaliating against attacks on its own positions. Hezbollah said it shelled Israeli military targets along the border, including a barracks, a command center and a crane on which surveillance equipment was installed. You can read more about Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the Middle East here.
Civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip: The fates behind the statistics
5:35 p.m.: Many civilians have also died in the Gaza Strip in the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas – including well-known artists, journalists and scientists. t-online presents some of them.
Israel’s army is said to have killed people with bulldozers
4:57 p.m.: Israel’s army is also using bulldozers in the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. 20 people are said to have been killed in one of the operations. Here you can read more about it.
Israel’s army discovers largest Hamas tunnel to date
4:50 p.m.: Israeli forces have discovered an unusually large tunnel. The military showed reporters the tunnel exit hidden in a dune 100 meters south of the Erez border crossing. The tunnel will be up to 50 meters deep, three meters high and wide in places and electrified. Its length is given as four kilometers. It is the largest tunnel discovered to date, says military spokesman Daniel Hagari. “Millions of dollars were invested in this tunnel. It took years to build this tunnel (…) vehicles could pass through.”
Catholics accuse Israel’s army of killing two women in church
3:55 p.m.: An Israeli army sniper shot dead two women in the Gaza Strip, according to a Catholic church. A woman and her daughter who had sought shelter in the church were killed “in cold blood,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.
The sniper shot them on the church grounds, “where there are no war participants” and most Christian families sought refuge from the fighting. The woman was killed while trying to bring the other to safety. Israel’s army did not issue any warning beforehand. Seven other people were injured by the fire. When asked, the Israeli army initially did not comment on the allegations, which could not be independently verified.
