Israel says it has discovered a Hamas command center in its vast network of tunnels in Gaza

The Israeli army said on Wednesday it had found a Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, as pressure grows for the Israeli government to reduce the intensity of its devastating military offensive against Palestinian territory.

The army said it had discovered the center of a vast underground network used by Hamas to move weapons, fighters and supplies. throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel has said the destruction of the tunnels is one of the main objectives of its offensive.

The announcement came as Hamas’ top leader arrived in Egypt negotiate a temporary ceasefire and a new exchange of Israeli hostages with Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

The Israeli government has vowed to continue the offensive against Palestinian territory ruled by the extremist group Hamas, which began in response to the ferocious cross-border attack on October 7 that left around 1,200 dead and took 240 people prisoner.

The offensive has devastated much of northern Gaza, killing nearly 20,000 Palestinians and forcing nearly 1.9 million people – nearly 85% of the Strip’s population – to flee their homes. The extensive destruction and high number of civilian casualties have sparked a growing international call for a ceasefire.

International pressure for a ceasefire

Hamas fighters opposed tenacious resistance to Israeli ground troops, and their forces appear to be largely intact in southern Gaza. Furthermore, he continues to launch rockets into Israel every day.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, continues to support Israel’s military offensive, while urging greater efforts to protect civilians in Gaza.

But, in one of the loudest calls ever made by America, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel on Wednesday to scale back its operations.

“It is clear that the conflict will and will progress to a phase of lower intensity,” the American diplomat said. He added that the United States wants to see “more targeted operations” in which fewer elements focus on specific targets, such as Hamas leaders and the organization’s tunnel network.

“When that happens, I think the harm to civilians will also be significantly reduced,” he said.

His comments were sharper than statements by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who commented during his visit to Israel this week that the United States will not impose any deadlines on its ally.

tunnel network

The Israeli army escorted Israeli journalists to Palestine Square in the heart of Gaza City to demonstrate what it described the center of Hamas’ tunnel network.

Military commanders boasted that they had discovered it offices, tunnels and elevators used by the leaders of the terrorist group. The Israeli military released videos showing underground offices and said it had found a wheelchair belonging to Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who had not been seen in public for several years.

Chief Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military had located the plane a vast underground complex. “Everyone used this infrastructure on a daily basis, during emergencies and even at the beginning of the war on October 7,” he said. He added that the tunnels extend across Gaza and to major hospitals. His claims could not be independently verified.

Hagari also indicated that Israel would reduce its operations in the Northern Strip, including Gaza City, where it has been fighting Hamas fighters for several weeks. He noted that the army had advanced towards Hamas’s last remaining strongholdthe Tufah neighborhood of Gaza City.

But even the army recognized this a serious setback. An investigation into soldiers who mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza has revealed that, five days before the incident, a military search dog equipped with a camera had captured audio of the hostages screaming for help in Hebrew.

Hagari said the footage was not reviewed until after the hostages were killed by Israeli soldiers as they tried to identify themselves.

The incident sparked outrage in Israel and put pressure on the government to reach a new agreement with Hamas. The army chief said the incident violated his rules of engagement.

Israel’s military campaign is now mainly focused on southern Gaza, where Hamas leaders are said to be hiding.

“We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed, until victory,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement. “Whoever thinks we will stop is far from reality.”

Negotiations for a new truce

Since Netanyahu promised to continue the war, again signs of progress in the ceasefire negotiations.

Hamas’s top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, traveled to Cairo for war negotiations as part of intensive diplomatic efforts. In recent days, senior officials from Israel, the United States and Qatar have also held talks to reach a truce.

“These are extremely serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope they lead to something,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said while traveling aboard Air Force One with President Joe Biden in Wisconsin.

However, Biden indicated this there is no imminent agreement. “At this point there is no expectation, but we are applying pressure,” the president said. When asked about the growing death toll in Gaza, he simply said: “It’s a tragedy.”

Hamas says no more hostages will be released until the war ends. It insists on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including senior fighters convicted of deadly attacks, in exchange for the remaining hostages.

Israel has so far rejected Hamas’ demands to release large numbers of prisoners. But it has a history of dealing with disproportionate exchanges of Israeli hostages, and the government faces enormous pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, helped broker a week-long truce in November, during which Hamas freed more than 100 prisoners in exchange for Israel’s release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other groups still hold around 129 people, although around 20 are believed to have died in captivity.

The war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are crammed into shelters and camps due to shortages of food, medicine and other basic necessities.

Israel’s Foreign Minister traveled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Source: Associated Press