With phone network shut down in tunnels, Hamas prepared attack for two years – Qatar mediates hostages

The Israeli army took combat positions at all critical points Waiting for the “political decision” regarding the ground attackWhich is expected to be launched today Israeli Cabinet meetingWhich does not rule out giving some green light. IIsraeli forces are present on the border with the Gaza Strip and on the border with LebanonUnder the threat of Hezbollah. Between Israeli forces and 360 thousand reserve soldiers, men and womenwho are on their feet and preparing for the next stage.

the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Herzi HalevyHe issued announcements from the southern border line stating that the forces were ready Invasion of Gaza. «I want to be clear, we are ready to invadeHe said characteristically.

CNN reported this Hamas has been planning an attack on Gaza tunnels for two years. In these underground tunnels there was a wired telephone circuit with which they communicated and planned everything. Officials quoted by CNN say they planned for two years for the October 11 operation by speaking secretly. With these phones, they avoided using computers or cell phones to avoid detection by Israeli forces.

same time, It is believed that Qatar is working to secure the release of Hamas hostages During its horrific attack in southern Israel. “I am happy to say that Qatar has become a major party and stakeholder in facilitating humanitarian solutions. Qatar’s diplomatic efforts are crucial at this time“, wrote Israeli National Security Advisor Gahi Hanegbi.

Raids on Gaza escalate

Israel is working on escalation Air strikes throughout the Gaza Strip With hundreds of Palestinians killed and medical facilities closed due to bomb damage and power outages. The Hamas government announced this as a result of the Israeli raids At least 80 people were killed during the night In different areas of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds were also injured in these raids, as the press office of the Palestinian government stated in its announcement.

The IDF also claims so They killed the commander of the Hamas-affiliated northern Khan Yunis battalionDirect message, in an air strike on the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army, Mubasher previously served as commander of Hamas’s naval forces, and also held several positions related to the manufacture of the terrorist group’s weapons.

«Mubasher has extensive experience in directing military operations against terrorist attacks and is believed to have been close to Muhammad Deif, the leader of the military wing of Hamas.“, said a joint statement by the IDF and the Shin Bet security service. Mubasher was allegedly behind the deadly 2002 attack on the Atzmona Pre-Military Academy in Gush Katif, among other attacks against IDF forces.

On Tuesday, Israel announced its launch 400 air strikes in the last daykilling Hamas leaders, striking militants as they prepared to fire rockets at Israel, and striking Hamas command centers and tunnels. Israel reported 320 strikes the previous day.

The Israeli army said so Thwarting an attack by a group of Hamas divers Who tried to infiltrate Israel on the beach north of the Gaza Strip. They were attacked by air, sea and land forces.

Two families lost a total of 47 members The Ministry of Health announced, in one of the flat houses in the city of Rafah. the Hit a four-story building In the Khan Younes Ammar Al-Bouta, one of his relatives who survived the airstrike, said that the airstrike killed at least 32 people, including 13 members of the Sakallah family. He said that about 100 people were in the building, including many who had fled Gaza City.

last A strike destroyed a crowded market In the refugee camp Nuseirat Central Gaza, according to eyewitnesses. In Gaza City, at least 19 people were killed An air strike hit the family homeAccording to survivors who said dozens of other people were still buried.

The Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas, said Israeli air strikes killed at least one 704 people on the last dayMostly women and children. In Washington, the White House National Security Council spokesman said: John KirbyHe told reporters that the United States had not been able to verify the death toll. “The Ministry of Health is run by Hamas and I think everything should be taken into account in anything they issueHe confirmed.

The Ministry of Health reported this More than 5,700 Palestinians were killed in the warAmong them are about 2,300 minors. This number includes the disputed account of an explosion that occurred in a hospital last week. United Nations Children’s Fund (United Nations Children’s Fund)UNICEFThis was announced yesterday, Tuesday 2,360 children were killed in the Gaza Strip. The fighting resulted in more than one death 1,400 people in Israel Most of them were civilians killed in the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government.

In the midst of all this, Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire on an almost daily basis On the border between Israel and LebanonWhile he was head of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Senior representatives of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad meet in Beirut. The published photos show Nasrallah meeting with Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nahaleh.

Furthermore it, Forces from the Israeli army where They made a night raid in The occupied West Bank came under fire where They retaliated with a drone strikeThe General Staff was notified of the result, according to its ambulance service Palestinian Red Crescent, At least three Palestinians were killed.

More than 100 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank The Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that the Strip has been suffering since the outbreak of war between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7. Many of these deaths were the result of raids by Israeli forces, but there was also an increase in violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers. Which led to the killing of civilians and fighters on both sides.

Since October 7, killings have increased in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel, with the number of Palestinian deaths reaching 101, according to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah. Meanwhile, the Israeli army reported this A member of the security forces was killed while participating in a raid.

Eight soldiers were killed and 7 others were injured Israeli attack Which was launched today on military sites in the southwest SyriaAccording to the Syrian news agency SANA. SANA added, quoting a military source The Israeli “air attack” targeted a number of military sites Near the city of Daraa, southwestern Syria. He added that material damage was also caused by this strike. According to SANA, the attack occurred at approximately 01:45 local time today (Greek time).

At the same time, the representative of the Israeli army confirmed this Iran directly assisted Hamas before the October 7 attack In southern Israel. “Iran helped Hamas directly before the war, training and supplying it with weapons, money and technological know-howAl-Hajri said in a press conference. “To date, Iranian aid to Hamas in the form of intelligence and electronic incitement against the State of Israel continues“, He says.

Fuel and humanitarian aid alert

As the death toll in Gaza rises and fuel supplies dwindle, the number of facilities that can handle the casualties shrinks. More than half of primary health care facilities, and approx One in three hospitals is out of business, The World Health Organization said.

while Israel allowed a small number of aid trucks to enterIt prevented the delivery of fuel to Gaza to keep it out of the hands of Hamas. The United Nations said the aid distribution process would stop on Wednesday afternoon if it did not receive fuel. Thus, the Israeli army proposed to the United Nations to ask Hamas for fuel. “Ask Hamas if they can give it to you“, wrote the Israeli army.

the But 2.3 million people in Gaza also suffer from lack of food, water and medicine Since Israel has besieged the area following the devastating October 7 Hamas attack on towns in southern Israel.

To make room for the dead, cemeteries had to dig up and reuse old plots. Families dug trenches to bury many bodies at once. “Bodies pour in by the hundreds every day. We use every spare inch in cemeteriessaid Abdul Rahman Muhammad, a volunteer who helps transport the bodies to the main cemetery in Khan Yunis.

barely 600,000 internally displaced people have taken refuge in 150 facilities The Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip announced that at least 40 buildings belonging to the agency were damaged as a result of the Israeli bombing, it announced today on the X platform.Our shelters have been filled to four times their capacity, and many people are sleeping on the streets due to existing infrastructure being overcrowded.UNRWA stressed.

on monday, Hamas released two elderly Israeli women They were among about 220 people Israel says were taken hostage during the October 7 attack. The 85-year-old looks frail in a wheelchair and speaks quietly Josev Levcic She told reporters on Tuesday that the gunmen beat her with sticks, leaving her with bruises on her ribs while kidnapping her. She added that they took her to Gaza and then forced her to walk several kilometers through a wetland to reach a network of tunnels resembling a spider’s web. She said that once she arrived, she was treated well, fed and receiving medical care.

The Israeli army dropped leaflets on Gaza Requesting the Palestinians to disclose information about the whereabouts of the hostages. In return, the army promised to reward and protect the informant’s home. Iran-backed militants in the region warn of possible escalationIncluding targeting US forces deployed in the Middle East in the event of a ground attack.

See more

Palestinian sources: Documentation of airstrikes in Jenin@migansh5 pic.twitter.com/9L5ZFcDAID

– Here is the news (@kann_news) October 25, 2023

Source: ERT, Associated Press, The Times of Israel