In a significant development, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports over 18,000 deaths in Gaza since the war's inception. Amid this chaos, the Israeli military made an unprecedented discovery - the largest Hamas tunnel found within Gaza since the launch of their ground offensive.
Unlike the earlier narrow tunnels barely allowing passage for single-file individuals, this one is vast. According to the Israeli military, the tunnel is large enough for a significant vehicle to pass through. It descends up to 50 meters underground and forms part of a larger four kilometer tunnel network. It also boasts facilities including electricity, ventilation, and communication systems.
This tunnel, entirely within Gaza and attributable to Hamas's operations, does not cut across from Gaza to Israel. Nevertheless, its strategic location near the Erez Crossing, a key intersection between Israel and Gaza, became the attack site of Hamas's terrorist operation on October 7th.
The Israeli military alleges that the brother of Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was the project's overseer. Hamas claims to have hundreds of miles of tunnels, and the Israeli military contends that it's steadily uncovering these tunnels and neutralizing them. This comes as mounting international pressure urges Israel to pare down civilian casualties and transition to more strategic, intelligence-driven military operations.
Switching gears, allegations have surfaced claiming that Israel deliberately assassinated an Al Jazeera journalist in southern Gaza. The network contends that Israel is systematically targeting its journalists and has taken the matter to the International Criminal Court. Israel rebuts these claims, insisting it never targets journalists intentionally.
In unrelated incidents, Samer Abu Dhaka, an Al Jazeera cameraman, died in Khan Yunus in southern Gaza. The network alleges that Dhaka lost his life due to an Israeli rocket strike. Wael Dardou, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, mourns the loss of his entire family due to a similar strike. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that over 60 journalists have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict.
This incident puts the spotlight on the ongoing threat to civilian lives, emphasizing the critical importance of journalism in such circumstances.
