Gaza is a top priority for ground combat.
“It was filmed on a tunnel security camera four months ago.
“You can only see the back, but it can be confirmed with AI.”
1.4 million Rafah refugees fleeing procession
Israel released a video on the 13th showing a person believed to be Hamas’ second-in-command Yahya Sinwar (pictured), who led a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas in October last year, escaping from an underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Western foreign media such as CNN and AFP stated that they could not verify whether the person in the video was Sinwar, but if true, the whereabouts of Shinwar, who had been in hiding ever since the outbreak of the Middle East war, were revealed for the first time.
From the start of the ground war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has set ‘elimination of Sinwar’ as its top priority. There is an analysis that the Sinwar video was released to emphasize the legitimacy of the attack as the international community was concerned about the casualties of Palestinian civilians during the recent intensification of airstrikes in the area of Rafah, a key city in the southern Gaza Strip.
However, the situation for the approximately 1.4 million southern Gaza Strip residents at risk of Israeli attack is getting worse. The Washington Post (WP) reported that many residents are abandoning their homes and trying to evacuate to relatively safe coastal tent villages, but the price of one tent has soared to $1,000 (about 1.35 million won).
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari released a 42-second video that day, saying, “Sinwar and his family are fleeing from an underground tunnel near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.” In the video, Sinwar’s younger brother Ibrahim leads with a flashlight, followed by Sinwar’s wife and three children. Shinwar was pictured walking with his family at the back, wearing slippers and holding a bag in his left hand.
In this video, Shinwar’s face is not clearly captured and only his back is visible. However, the Israeli military claimed that it used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to confirm that the person in the video was Sinwar based on the size of the ears. It was revealed that this tunnel was also connected to the detention site of Israeli civilian hostages held by Hamas.
The Israeli military said the video was filmed in an underground tunnel beneath a cemetery east of Khan Yunis on October 10 last year, three days after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel. He added that the security cameras installed inside the tunnel were recovered when the Israeli military operating in the area recovered them.
The Israeli military also released video of a hiding place inside a tunnel believed to have been used by Hamas leaders, including Shinwar. In addition to the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom areas, there were several safes containing millions of dollars in cash. “High-ranking Hamas officials lived in comfortable conditions,” Hagari said. “They don’t care about anything other than themselves, their family, and money,” he said, expressing his intention to kill Sinwar at all costs.
In the Rafah area, many residents are making desperate attempts to escape as reports continue to spread that Israel’s deployment of ground troops is imminent. The British Financial Times (FT) reported on the 13th that many residents living in the temporary shelter in Rafa are dismantling their tents and gathering their belongings to move. This is a self-escape procession unrelated to the refugee evacuation plan that Israel conveyed to Egypt.
One refugee said, “We want to escape from death, but death is already everywhere.” Since the Rafah area was already the ‘last refuge’ in the Gaza Strip, there was no place to go even if they left. The international community is repeatedly urging the Israeli military to refrain from attacks, saying that the Israeli military should not strengthen its ground fighting when the safety of Rafah residents is not guaranteed.
On this day, Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Qatari officials who have been mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas gathered in Cairo, Egypt. However, the Israeli negotiation team returned to Korea and ended with virtually no results. In particular, it is known that there are significant differences between the two sides on the exchange rate of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Cairo =
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.