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.

IDF ground troops in Jabalya located a weapons cache hidden inside a school, the IDF stated on Thursday morning.

Israeli soldiers completed the orderly evacuation of the civilian population from a school complex southwards and, during the subsequent search, came across the weapons.

In the aftermath of the Hamas October 7 attack, Iran was quick to mobilize all its proxies in the region to begin a combined attack on Israel and US forces in Iraq and Syria. Hezbollah, for instance, quickly intervened but only with limited attacks, attacking Israel with rockets, small arms fire, mortars, and drones. The Houthis in Yemen also have joined the attack, targeting Eilat and then targeting shipping. In Iraq and Syria, the Iran-backed militias have attacked US forces more than 100 times.

Now, Iran may be settling into this conflict. Iran had sought over the last several years to “unify the arenas” against Israel, which meant being able to key in different groups around Israel to threaten Israel. Iran could rely on Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and others.

Efforts are underway in the IDF and Defense Ministry to promote the approval of a multi-year plan for dividing the defense budget in the army, taking into account various threats from the North and the South. Among other things, the IDF aims to cancel the reduction in service length, establish an intelligence command for the Gaza Strip, and invest in an aerial and ground laser system.

Alongside the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, the IDF General Staff and heads of the Defense Ministry held discussions in recent days to advance the approval of the multi-year "Ma'alot" plan by the government to allocate the defense budget in the IDF. The army wants to increase the quantity of Iron Dome batteries, cancel the service reduction, and invest in an aerial and ground laser system. The estimate is that the IDF will request billions more shekels from the government each year to be prepared for war on multiple fronts.

Around 230 targets of Hamas were destroyed in the last 24 hours, the IDF announced Thursday morning.

In Khan Yunis, a launcher with rockets aimed at Israel was destroyed, the military stated. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In the streets of Sanaa, Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital, support for the Palestinian cause is everywhere, with many cars displaying Palestinian flags, photos of Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, or slogans showing support for the Palestinian people.

The Houthis, who form the de facto authority in northern and western Yemen, are also showing their support in other ways, including launching direct missile and drone attacks against Israel and against commercial ships believed to be owned by or linked to Israel or Israelis.

Gulf countries, led by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have issued an ultimatum to Israel stating that if the war between Israel-Hamas does not end next month, there will be a reduction in humanitarian aid, N12 reported, citing Arab sources. 

"If the fighting does not stop in January, then we will be forced to reduce the humanitarian aid we transfer to the Gaza Strip," N12 reported, quoting their Arab sources. 

"If the Israeli intentions are to remain in the Gaza Strip for the long term, then it will be the responsibility of the Israelis and Americans to take care of these issues," the sources added. "What you are seeing in Gaza has not been seen anywhere in the world, and we are facing a big challenge. There are hundreds of tons of food in warehouses and there is still a big mess. They are not operating there in a sufficiently organized manner."

In a slight revision of the map of the Middle East, the United Nations seemingly placed Jordan next to Gaza in an embarrassing post on social media.  

A humanitarian convoy filled with life-saving food has crossed from Jordan into Gaza for the first time since conflict broke out in the Middle East.@WFP says the delivery is a crucial step for reaching people in need. https://t.co/KptegPpfnJpic.twitter.com/H5IPVIICRd

— United Nations (@UN) December 20, 2023

"A humanitarian convoy filled with life-saving food has crossed from Jordan into Gaza for the first time since the conflict broke out in the Middle East," the organization stated on X (formerly Twitter), seemingly forgetting, or ignoring, that an entire country stands between Jordan and Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Wednesday night that the fight against terrorism does not mean "flattening Gaza", referring to Israel's ongoing war against Hamas following the October 7 massacres.

"We cannot allow the idea to take root that an effective fight against terrorism implies razing Gaza or attacking civilian populations indiscriminately," Macron said Wednesday in an interview with the French broadcaster France 5. The president called on Israel "to stop this response because it is not appropriate because all lives are worth the same, and we must protect them."

While recognizing Israel's "right to defend itself and fight terrorism," Macron said that France called for the protection of civilians and "a ceasefire that will lead to a humanitarian ceasefire."

Hamas has allegedly rejected an Israeli offer for a one-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, saying they wouldn’t discuss releasing the hostages until a full ceasefire first goes into effect, Egyptian officials said, according to the Wall Street Journal report on December 20.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political wing of the terrorist organization, met with intelligence officials in Cairo earlier today to discuss Israel's offer but allegedly said that he was there to obtain a full ceasefire and more humanitarian aid.