Despite these victories, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who is currently in hiding, claims that Hamas is "crushing" the IDF and has rejected a peace proposal from Egypt.
The IDF released footage on December 25th, showing a drone strike eliminating a terrorist armed with an RPG. According to the IDF, during an offensive against Hamas's Daraj-Tuffah battalion in Gaza City, troops spotted a Hamas operative with an RPG approaching them. The troops called in an airstrike, killing the operative.
On Sunday night, the IDF announced the completion of a large-scale operation to dismantle Hamas's underground headquarters in northern Gaza. This operation was carried out by the Nahal Brigade, who discovered the subterranean tunnel network during activities in Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel network, which served as the underground headquarters of Hamas, was found to have two levels, the first being approximately 33 feet deep and the second even deeper.
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The network included numerous branches and was used by Hamas to wage war and conceal the movements of its terrorists. Additionally, weapons, infrastructure for weapon production, and emergency rooms were discovered within the network. The tunnel network was connected to the house of Ahmed Ahandor, the commander of Hamas's northern division in the Gaza Strip, who was killed by the IDF last month.
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December 26, 2023
The IDF also revealed that the tunnel network was hidden under a school and a hospital. The destruction of the underground headquarters in Jabalia is part of the ongoing effort to deal with Hamas's tunnel infrastructure and target its senior commanders and strategic capabilities. The IDF stated that this effort is also being carried out in Khan Yunis and the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
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In addition to the destruction of the underground headquarters, Israeli forces killed terrorists who were hiding in a school in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City. During this operation, the IDF secured hundreds of weapons, including grenades, RPG projectiles, and explosives. Dozens of terrorists were captured and transferred to Israel for further interrogation by the Shin Bet.
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The IDF revealed that the terrorists were hiding inside the Al Rafaa and Zavaha schools in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City. This further demonstrates Hamas's use of the civilian population and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip as human shields for its terrorist activities. The IDF discovered dozens of explosive devices hidden inside UNRWA bags, along with AK-47-style rifles and 15 suicide belts. Some of the terrorists found in the schools were members of Islamic Jihad and had participated in the October 7th Hamas massacre that claimed the lives of 1,200 people.
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The use of UNRWA bags raises questions about the agency's role in supporting Hamas. Earlier this month, Israeli soldiers discovered over 100 rockets hidden in UNRWA boxes inside a home in northern Gaza. In October, UNRWA reported that fuel and humanitarian aid were stolen from one of its compounds by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. A released hostage even claimed to have been held captive by a UNRWA teacher.
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Despite the ongoing military operations and the destruction of its infrastructure, Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected an Egyptian proposal to relinquish power in Gaza in exchange for a permanent ceasefire. Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, stated that there can be no negotiations without a complete stop to the aggression.
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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is currently in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials. Egypt, being the home of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the parent organization of Hamas, plays a crucial role in these discussions.
It is worth noting that the United States provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, despite its ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. In September, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken approved an additional $235 million in military aid to Egypt, overruling congressional restrictions. Since 1978, the United States has provided Egypt with over $50 billion in military aid and $30 billion in economic assistance.
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Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who has been in hiding, released a message claiming that Hamas is "crushing" the Israeli army. Sinwar falsely claimed that the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had targeted over 5,000 Israeli soldiers and officers, killing over 1,500 of them. However, the actual figures provided by the IDF contradict Sinwar's claims. So far, 156 soldiers have been killed in the ground operation in Gaza, and over 300 members of the security forces were killed in Hamas's October 7th attack. Sinwar also claimed that 3,500 Israeli troops were wounded or disabled, while the IDF reports that the real figure is less than 200. Additionally, Sinwar claimed that Hamas had destroyed 750 Israeli military vehicles, but the Times of Israel reports that very few IDF vehicles have been severely damaged.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in the northern Gaza Strip and stated that the war against Hamas is far from over. He emphasized that the fighting will intensify in the coming days, as this will be a long war. Netanyahu expressed his pride in the soldiers and their determination to continue until the end. He also described the battle as a fight between civilization and barbarism, highlighting the atrocities committed by Hamas.
Netanyahu has also informed U.S. President Joe Biden that the war will continue for however long it takes. He expressed his appreciation for the steadfast U.S. position in supporting Israel's war effort in the UN Security Council. Netanyahu made it clear that the decisions made in the war are based on operational considerations and are not dictated by external pressure. The decision on how to use Israeli forces is an independent decision of the IDF.
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