Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 76?

Soldiers for the Yahalom special operations unit of the IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps, along with troops from the 401st Brigade combat team, destroyed the secret underground web of tunnels seized on Wednesday by Israeli forces, the IDF said on Thursday.

The demolition of the subterranean structure followed the revelation that the IDF had taken control of Hamas’s Gaza City “senior quarter,” the IDF added. The network of tunnel branches reportedly contained apartments, offices, and living quarters of senior Hamas officials.

Tunnels beneath an urban center

The tunnels led to above-ground sites in the Shejaia neighborhood's Palestine Square.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Muhammad Deif had used this network to manage the organization’s operation and movement through the center of Gaza City, which has nicknamed the area “Commander’s Square.”

Colonel Beni Aharon noted that the tunnels were used to store equipment taken from civilians that could enable Hamas leadership to shelter there for an extended period of time.

אוספת בת של חברה מבית הספר. הרבה הורים ממתינים. בכניסה חבורת בנים אומרים זה לזה בהתרגשות שיש אזעקות בראשון ואולי צריך לרוץ למרחב מוגן. ההורים כולם דרוכים ונשמעת אזעקה.
לא חשבתי שהמכה היומית בבטן שאני חווה מאז 7.10 תהיה רק מלראות ילדים רצים pic.twitter.com/66hiJst3jd

— Munchies (@morandabadass) December 21, 2023

Hamas said on Thursday that Colonel Bassam Ghaben, the Hamas-appointed director of the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, and three other Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike near the gate of Rafah crossing.

There was no immediate Israeli response to a Reuters request for comment.

Interrogations of Hamas Nukhba terrorists, along with documental and technical intelligence collected by Hamas, paint a grim picture of the organization's intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities. In investigations conducted by Unit 504 of Israel's Intelligence Division, it has been revealed the extent to which Hamas prepared an extensive intelligence infrastructure ahead of its October 7 attacks, including detailed reports on the IDF's activity in bases and various locations across the country.

According to a military source, Hamas successfully mapped the locations of the Gaza border settlements, military bases, and IDF positions and then trained and focused the Nukhba terrorists on the weak points of all these sites.

They infiltrated Israel, knowing exactly which areas were under less surveillance, where there are observation posts and issues, where the dining rooms and sleeping quarters are located, etc. The same military source claims that Nukhba terrorists knew about the security vulnerabilities of an IDF base located kilometers away from the border.

Another military source reveals that some of the Hamas terrorists held a video of the server room and bunker of a unit in the Intelligence Corps they intended to attack. Specific computers to be taken from the server room were marked in the video.

The IDF holds a rough estimate that the information about those computers reached the terrorists intentionally from an Iranian source.

"The level of their awareness about that Intelligence Corps base in the western Negev slipped us, they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve," explained one of the military sources. "It's amazing to understand the level of their intent before the war. This could be the result of many reasons."

Photos of the destruction in Kibbutz Be'eri taken in the beginning of November 2023. (credit: MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN)

IDF to improve defenses

According to estimates, the field of defense and information security in the IDF will undergo a fundamental change in the coming year, which will require the army to rethink its approach and fundamentally change its ways of handling this issue.

Meanwhile, the IDF has decided to immediately introduce initial security measures, among them strengthening the security level of buildings located at a significant distance from the border. It was also decided to re-examine the security and defense system at the Intelligence Corps' Kiryat Modi'in near Lakiya, which is currently under construction.

Against the backdrop of the war against Hamas, residents of Bat Hefer in the Hefar Valley claim that they hear digging beneath their homes alongside explosion sounds coming to them from the Tulkarm area. Gadi Ohayon, a resident of Bat Hefer, spoke on Thursday with Ben Caspit and Yinon Magal on their show on 103FM and expressed his opinion on the ongoing situation.

"The situation is really not good," Ohayon stated. "We live in a constant state of insecurity, the settlement is targeted with direct and indirect fire almost every day. We can show you pictures of shells from our yards."

"Let's say that one day we receive reports of three to four incidents, then one quiet day, and then another two days with incidents. We hear shootings; we find shells in our yards, in inner houses, not those adjacent to the fence," he continued.

"At night, we wake up from explosions, the enemy really enjoys annoying us during hours when we're all turning right and left in bed, and we feel very helpless," Ohayon continued. "We feel that any response on our part to these activities that our enemies are trying to carry out against us is treated on a point-by-point basis. We need to understand that what they did on October 7 is a model for what they plan to do."

Bat Hefer (credit: Wikimedia Commons/GevBen)

Ohayon added that, "A large part of the residents in the area, especially in our settlements, report noises of digging. A geological survey was carried out by someone from the security system, and the findings were not revealed to us.

"We are civilians, so we shouldn't know everything." Later, he claimed, "They are rocking us, just like they rocked the South and just like they rock the North. We are no less at risk. Maybe it won't happen in a minute, but we can't be surprised. Once they cross the fence of Bat Hefer and the nearby settlements, Kfar Saba, Raanana, Hadera, Netanya, and the entire line will come under fire, up to the sea."

We, the residents of the settlements, receive messages, 'A warning shot was fired from our side as a response to a shot fired at the fence of this settlement or another settlement'. A warning shot? Did you scare them away? You have to take off a shell, lift it up in the air, and cut it into a million pieces. Scatter them like a puzzle, whoever shoots in our direction, scatter him like a puzzle."

"I have a soldier in the army already, and I have children who are going to be soldiers. If we don't take care of these people, of these children, what army will we have later?" Ohayon wondered, adding, "Let them establish a defense line so that when one raises an M-16, a grenade launcher, and aims the barrel in our direction, scatter it, really scatter it."

Former secretary of state Hilary Clinton urged families of kidnapped Israelis to pressure Israeli politicians to push for a Christmas deal to release their loved ones from Hamas captivity, according to a statement that was published by the families. 

The meeting, which took place in New York, was organized by the Forum of Families of Kidnapped Israelis. The meeting highlighted the families' desperate plea for international support and pressure on relevant stakeholders to bring their family members home from captivity in Gaza.

According to a statement on behalf of the families, they shared their emotional stories and conveyed their concerns about the well-being of the kidnapped individuals, many of whom have been held captive for an extended period. They also expressed their frustration with the response of international organizations and the need for urgent action.

Former secretary of state Hilary Clinton meets with families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas, December 2023 (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Clinton encourages to mobilize public pressure

One family member recounted Clinton's advice during the meeting: "Clinton encouraged us to mobilize public pressure because there are elements in the Israeli government who understand only politics." 

According to families who participated in the meeting, during the gathering, Clinton emphasized the importance of prioritizing the release of the kidnapped individuals. She acknowledged the accomplishments of the Israeli military but stressed that the safe return of the kidnapped must be the primary focus. According to a participant at the meeting, she noted, "Until the release of the hostages becomes the primary and immediate objective from Israel's perspective, any statements or actions from me, others, or even President [Joe] Biden would not hold sufficient significance."

The families presented Clinton with valuable insights into the plight of their loved ones, sharing personal stories, photographs, and a symbolic disc bearing the message, "Our hearts are held captive in Gaza."

According to the statement, Clinton offered assistance in any way possible and pledged to advocate within the international community to release the hostages. She also commended the efforts of the families and the Forum, stating, "The work being undertaken by the families and this forum is of utmost importance and influence. You must continue your efforts, exerting pressure on all relevant stakeholders," according to the statement. 

The meeting occurred at Columbia University's campus, where Clinton delivered a lecture alongside Keren Yarhi-Milo, the dean of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. The event was organized by Israeli students at Columbia, demonstrating solidarity and international collaboration in addressing this pressing issue.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies.

"There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, told reporters via video link from Jerusalem.

"Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional."

IDF fighter jets struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon throughout Wednesday night and struck a rocket launcher that was used to fire rockets toward Israel on Wednesday, the IDF stated Thursday morning.

Artillery was also used, striking targets close to the Israel-Lebanon border.

Agam Almog-Goldstein, who returned from Hamas captivity in the prisoner exchange on November 26, spoke on Thursday with Army Radio about her time imprisoned in the Gaza Strip since being kidnapped during the Hamas attacks of October 7.

The IDF announced that three soldiers fell during combat in an announcement made on Thursday morning.

Sgt. Lavi Ghasi, 19 years old, from Hashmonaim, Lt. Yaacov Elian, 20 years old, from Ramat Gan, and Lt. Omri Shwartz, 21 years old, from Shadmot Devora, all fell in battle in the north of the Gaza Strip.