Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 91?

The IDF has discovered and consequently destroyed tunnels run by the terrorist group Hamas which were hidden beneath the Blue Beach Hotel in the northern Gaza Strip.

The combat team of the 14th brigade, operating under the 162nd Division, uncovered seven shafts leading to Hamas tunnels, within which were boarding rooms for Hamas terrorists and a variety of weapons and surveillance devices, under the Gazan hotel, located close to the beach in the north of the coastal enclave, operating in coordination with the Yahalom combat unit.

The Yahalom soldiers conducted an in-depth investigation of the shafts, and this week, they destroyed the entire infrastructure.

Terrorists using the hotel as shelter

The Hamas terrorists used the hotel as a shelter from which they managed tactics and planned attacks from both above- and below-ground.

Photos of the weapons found by the 14th Brigade in the hotel area in Gaza. January 5, 2024. (credit: IDF)

During the operation, dozens of Hamas terrorists barricaded themselves inside the hotel, firing anti-tank missiles from within it at the IDF units, who in turn returned fire. The IDF also encountered terrorists in the area of the hotel and eliminated some of them. 

There were hotel rooms inside that appeared to have been used for long-term boarding and fighting for Hamas terrorists.

Reservists of the 14th Brigade have been in the northern Gaza Strip, namely Jabaliya, Beit Hanun and Gaza City, for several months, destroying munitions stockpiles, missile launchers aimed at Israel, and Hamas underground headquarters.

The French and Jordanian air forces have dropped seven tonnes of urgent humanitarian and medical aid for a field hospital set up in Gaza's second city, Khan Yunis, a French presidency official said on Friday.

Jordan has previously carried out drops in Gaza. It was the first time Paris had directly taken part in such an operation, although it has so far supplied about 1,000 tonnes of aid into the enclave over land.

The airdrops come three months since Hamas terrorists from Gaza attacked southern Israel, sparking an Israeli offensive that Palestinian health officials say has killed 22,600 people, devastated the enclave and displaced thousands.

Humanitarian concerns

A general view of a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians, who fled their homes due to Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, January 3, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/SALEH SALEM)

A French presidency official said the operation, which took place on Thursday night, involved a French aircraft and a Jordanian plane.

"The humanitarian situation remains critical in Gaza," President Emmanuel Macron said on X.

"In a difficult context," France and Jordan delivered by air aid to to the population and those who are bringing them help."

The official declined to say what exactly was dropped or whether Israel had given the green light to the operation.

Israel had approved a previous Jordanian air-dropped aid mission in November.

Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Israel and told the Israeli ambassador to stay away in protest at the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, saying the attacks had killed innocents and caused a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel's humanitarian liaison office COGAT said on Friday the humanitarian situation was stabilizing and denied blocking water purifiers, medical supplies and tent poles as stated by sources in Gaza and in an Egyptian Red Crescent document.

Rocket sirens sounded in the northern Israeli communities of Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi, and Kiryat Shmona on Friday evening.

The affected communities are situated near the border between Israel and Lebanon.

The MDA subsequently announced that it had not received any calls regarding rocket falls or casualties.

Roughly an hour after the rocket alarms sounded in Israel's north, more rocket alarms sounded in the area.

Alarms sounded in communities including Kfar Giladi, Ma'ayan Baruch, Kfar Yuval, Ghajar, Kiryat Shmona, and Tel Hai.

Shortly thereafter, the MDA again said that it had not received any reports of rocket strikes or casualties.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned that his movement "cannot accept" the alleged Israeli assassination of deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri, stressing that remaining silent would cause more harm than "any risks that may come from responding, in a speech on Friday afternoon.

"I tell you with certainty that this will not go without a response or punishment," said Nasrallah, adding that he would not say the phrase "in the appropriate time and place" and that instead the forces on the ground would be the ones to decide the response. Iran and its proxies often say they will respond "in the appropriate time and place" when they intend to push off any response to a specific issue to a later date, if ever.

"We cannot remain silent about a violation of this seriousness because this means that all of Lebanon, the cities, and the figures will become exposed," added Nasrallah. "The magnitude of the harm resulting from remaining silent about this violation is greater than any risks that may come from responding. So the decision is up to the field."

Nasrallah insisted that Hezbollah only began attacking Israel in order to split the IDF's attention and relieve pressure on the factions in Gaza. "The battle taking place in southern Lebanon has stabilized the balance of deterrence," said Nasrallah.

The Hezbollah leader also hinted towards territorial disputes Lebanon has with Israel at several points along the border, including in the Shebaa Farms area where Hezbollah set up tents in Israeli territory earlier this year, saying "We are facing a real opportunity to liberate every inch of our Lebanese land and prevent the enemy from violating our borders and airspace."

Smoke rises during an exchange of fire between the IDF and terrorists from Hezbollah on the border between Israel and Lebanon. December 18, 2023. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

Nasrallah referenced the tents as well saying "The tent is a thing of the past. Today there is a real war on the borders."

Nasrallah addresses Israel

The Hezbollah leader addressed Israelis evacuated from northern Israel, saying that if they want to return home they should demand the war in Gaza end.

Nasrallah added that he believes the US is scared of the war expanding and has no interest in this happening.

Arouri was killed in a drone strike blamed on Israel on Tuesday evening targeting an office belonging to Hamas in Mushrifiyah in the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital. Azzam al-Aqra and Samir Fendi, two commanders in Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, were killed in the strike as well, along with three other Hamas members.

Israel had not officially taken responsibility for the strike as of Wednesday, although several government officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have published social media posts welcoming Arouri's death.

The speech on Friday was officially presented as a memorial for Muhammad Hassan Yaghi, Nasrallah's executive assistant, who recently died after "a long illness." 

The IDF found tunnel shafts, a chemical lab for weapon production, and anti-tank launch sites in a raid of a central Gaza neighborhood's high-rise district, the Israeli military said Friday.

The military said that an operation led by the 646th Brigade, in cooperation with the Yahalom special engineering unit, targeted many high-rise buildings the IDF said were used by Hamas as launch sites, targeting Israeli tanks and fighter jets.

During the operation, Israeli forces found launches loaded with rockets and several tunnel shafts across the neighborhood.

IDF finds chemical laboratory used for terror in Gaza

The IDF also found a chemical laboratory used by Hamas terrorists for weapon production. The weaponry found and seized included sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, AK-47 assault rifles, and pistols. 

Israeli forces seize Hamas weaponry in Gaza's high-rise district, January 5, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Yahalom forces destroyed terrorist observation posts, booby-trapped buildings, and underground tunnel shafts as part of the operation.

The IDF added that "many terrorists" were killed by forces during their raid of the Gaza district, as the IDF continued its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel must prepare for heavy fire deep into the country in response to the alleged assassination of Hamas's Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut earlier this week, Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar reported on Friday.

"The Zionist enemy must prepare and know Hezbollah plans to respond with heavy fire deep into the country," a journalist close to Hezbollah was quoted as saying. 

"Israel is misguided with its evaluations of Hezbollah," the journalist further claimed.

IDF: Air Force strikes Hezbollah terror posts across Lebanon

Israel Air Force fighter jets attacked the areas of Eita al-Sha'ab and Majdal Zon in Lebanese territory, the IDF said on Friday.

The attack destroyed several parts of Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure, including a military site where terrorists were believed to be working.

At least 22,600 Palestinians have been killed and 57,910 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct.7, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Some 162 Palestinians were killed and 296 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.

Lebanon filed a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council on Friday following the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas deputy chief outside of Gaza, Saleh al-Arouri, in the Beirut suburbs earlier this week.

The complaint, filed on Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib's instruction, charges that the alleged attack, the "most dangerous escalation since 2006...specifically targeted a densely populated residential zone, constituting a clear violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its civilian population and aviation."