EXPLOSIONS and smoke were seen across buildings in Khan Younis as the Israeli military announced fighting around the city.
IDF discovers Hamas tunnel used to hold 20 hostages
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that a Hamas tunnel previously used to hold ’20’ hostages had been uncovered in the area.
Several militants were also killed but no hostages had been found. The IDF also said that they destroyed the said tunnel after examination. Meanwhile, Israel claims that 132 hostages remain in Gaza, with 25 believed to be dead.
In November last year, Israel and Hamas agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire. Hamas released around 100 Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel freeing some 240 Palestinian prisoners.
But the deal eventually collapsed after 7 days, with both sides blaming each other for the fallout.
Netanyahu rejects Hamas’ hostage deal conditions
And recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a Hamas proposal of an end to the war in return for the release of the remaining captives, and also said ‘full Israeli security control’ was ‘contrary to a Palestinian state’.
During a meeting with the relatives of the hostages, Netanyahu said
“There is no real proposal by Hamas. It’s not true. I am saying this as clearly as I can because there are so many incorrect statements that are certainly agonizing for you.”
Palestinian officials reported that at least 25,000 people had been killed and more than 62,000 injured.
Although the IDF has repeatedly stated that it is targeting Hamas infrastructures and locations in Gaza, the military’s ground offensive drew heavy backlash from the international community.
United Nations experts have warned against ‘collective punishment’ for the people of Gaza, before predicting a ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ and then claimed that ‘hell is settling in’ for the region.
