Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 127?

Israeli forces have discovered a tunnel network hundreds of meters (yards) long and running partly under UNRWA's Gaza headquarters, the military says, calling it new evidence of Hamas exploitation of the main relief agency for Palestinians.

Army engineers took reporters for foreign news outlets through the passages at a time of crisis for UNRWA, which has launched an internal probe and seen a string of donor countries freeze funding over allegations last month by Israel that some of its staff doubled as Hamas operatives.

The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA, which employs 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip and has been a lifeline for the aid-dependent population for years. The agency runs schools, primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributes aid, describing its activities as purely humanitarian.

UNRWA Headquarters is in Gaza City, among northern areas that Israeli troops and tanks overran early in the four-month-old war against the governing Islamist faction Hamas, sending hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing southward.

Reporters on the closely escorted trip entered a shaft next to a school on the periphery of the UN compound, descending to the concrete-lined tunnel. Twenty minutes of walking through the stifling hot, narrow and occasionally winding passage brought them underneath UNRWA Headquarters, an army lieutenant-colonel leading the tour said.

Weapons found in an UNRWA building and an explanation by the Commander of the 401st Brigade Combat Team, COL Benny Aharon. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

The tunnel, which the military said was 700 meters long and 18 meters deep, bifurcated at times, revealing side-rooms. There was an office space, with steel safes that had been opened and emptied. There was a tiled toilet. One large chamber was packed with computer servers, another with industrial battery stacks.

Hunnels hold advance infrastructure

“Everything is conducted from here. All the energy for the tunnels, which you walked through them are powered from here," said the lieutenant-colonel, who gave only his first name, Ido.

"This is one of the central commands of the intelligence. This place is one of the Hamas intelligence units, where they commanded most of the combat."

But Ido said Hamas appeared to have evacuated in the face of the Israeli advance, preemptively cutting off communications cables that, in an above-ground part of the tour, he showed running through the floor of the UNRWA Headquarters' basement.

It appeared that heavy Israeli barrages and sustained winter rains may also have played a part in the departure: Several stretches of the tunnel were clogged with dislodged sand and knee-high water.

In a statement, UNRWA said it had vacated the headquarters on Oct. 12, five days after the war began, and was therefore "unable to confirm or otherwise comment" on the Israeli finding.

"UNRWA ... does not have the military and security expertise nor the capacity to undertake military inspections of what is or might be under its premises," the statement said.

"In the past, whenever (a) suspicious cavity was found close to or under UNRWA premises, protest letters were promptly filed to parties to the conflict, including both the de facto authorities in Gaza (Hamas) and the Israeli authorities."

UNRWA's supporters say it is the only agency with the means of aiding Palestinians in deepening humanitarian distress. Israel says the agency is "perforated by Hamas" and must be replaced. Hamas has denied operating in civilian facilities.

"We know that they (Hamas) have people working in UNRWA. We want every international organization to work in Gaza. That is not a problem. Our problem is the Hamas," Ido told reporters.

Lack of cellphone reception in the tunnel made geolocating it as under UNRWA Headquarters impossible. Instead, reporters were asked to put personal items in a bucket that was lowered by rope into a vertical hole on the grounds of the headquarters. They were reunited with the still-tethered items during the tunnel tour.

As a condition of taking journalists on the trip, the Israeli military did not allow photographs of military intelligence such as maps or certain equipment in the convoy of armored vehicles they traveled in. It also requested approval before transmission of photographs and video footage taken on the trip.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, expressed outrage on Saturday after French President Emmanuel Macron referred to the October 7 massacre as "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century," insisting that the massacre of 1,200 Israelis was simply a "response to Israel's oppression."

"The 'greatest antisemitic massacre of our century'? No, Mr. @EmmanuelMacron. The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel's oppression. France & the international community did nothing to prevent it. My respects to the victims," wrote Albanese on X.

The French Foreign Ministry condemned Albanese's comments, replying on X that "the October 7 massacre is the largest antisemitic massacre of the 21st century. Disputing it is an error. Seeming to justify it, by including the name of the United Nations, is a disgrace."

Le massacre du 7 octobre est le plus grand massacre antisémite du 21e siècle. Le contester est une faute. Sembler le justifier, en y mêlant le nom des Nations Unies, est une honte.

Ces propos sont d’autant plus scandaleux que la lutte contre l’antisémitisme et toutes les formes… https://t.co/IGOfEP5Q0q

— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) February 10, 2024

"These comments are all the more scandalous since the fight against antisemitism and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the UN," added the French Foreign Ministry.

French President Emmanuel Macron attemds a ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of October 7, in the courtyard of the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, France, February 7, 2024 (credit: FLASH90)

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy welcomed France's response to the UN official's comments, writing "Bravo, France, for calling out this awful UN official for denying the intensely antisemitic motivations of the Hamas October 7 Massacre and seemingly justifying it as a 'response to Israeli oppression.'"

Bravo, France, for calling out this awful UN official for denying the intensely antisemitic motivations of the Hamas October 7 Massacre and seemingly justifying it as a "response to Israeli oppression". pic.twitter.com/KW79xee0tc

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) February 10, 2024

Albanese has repeatedly spoken out supporting Palestinian terrorism

Albanese, who has served as the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories since May 2022, has repeatedly spoken out in support of Palestinian terrorism, describing such acts as "resistance" and "defense." She has also expressed support for boycotting Israelis, accused the State of Israel of committing genocide, and belittled findings that UNRWA employees were complicit in the October 7 massacre and served as members of Hamas.

In 2014, after Hamas kidnapped and murdered three young Israeli boys and then indiscriminately fired thousands of rockets toward Israel, leading to the launch of Operation Protective Edge, Albanese posted on Facebook "America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust, remain on the sidelines and continue to condemn the oppressed — the Palestinians — who defend themselves with the only means they have (deranged missiles), instead of making Israel face its international law responsibilities." The post has since been made private.

Albanese has also repeatedly stated that Israel does not have the right to self-defense in conflict with the Palestinians, including immediately after British-Israelis Lucy, Maia, and Rina Dee were murdered in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley and an Italian tourist was murdered in a ramming attack in Tel Aviv within one day.

Albanese has also equated the establishment of the State of Israel with the Holocaust.

In December 2022, Albanese told a conference organized by Hamas in Gaza that "you have a right to resist this occupation."

NEW YORK - Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana traveled to Washington, DC, and New York last week amid a pivotal point in time for the US' relationship with Israel as pressures for a hostage deal and humanitarian aid in Gaza mount worldwide.  

Ohana's trip came at the invitation of his counterpart in Congress, House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA). 

In meetings and press conferences, Ohana projected a story of unity albeit diversity as he noted his choice to bring Knesset members from opposition parties along with him to the US. 

Four families of hostages, from three different religions, also accompanied Ohana on his trip to DC, adding to the image of unity.

Numerous times, Ohana repeated Israel's three priorities of returning the hostages, defeating Hamas, and strengthening US-Israel relations.  

The backdrop of Ohana's visit however tells a more complicated story; one highlighted by increasing division between party lines, and Washington and Jerusalem. 

Last week saw two failed supplemental bills; a new memorandum that will require Israel to prove its compliance with international human rights laws; President Joe Biden calling Israel's conduct in Gaza "over the top;" and a proposed deal from Hamas which Israel and the US deemed unrealistic. 

On Monday, Ohana met with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

"These are critical days that may determine the fate of the entire region. The Hamas-Hezbollah-Houthis axis of evil led by Iran must feel the power of the free world in the form of a diplomatic and military iron wall, and America's actions these days are certainly a good start," Ohana said on X following the meeting.

Two days later, a US drone strike in Iraq killed Kata'ib Hezbollah leader Wissam Mohammed Abu Baqir al-Saadikilled al-Saadi, who the Pentagon said orchestrated attacks against US troops in the region. The White House said its retaliation against Iran-backed forces for the deaths of three US service members will come in stages and it is uncertain where and when more retaliatory strikes could take place, increasing concerns over a wider-spread war in the region. 

On Monday, Ohana also met with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas amid his Republican-led impeachment hearings. 

Ohana thanked Mayorkas on X, calling him a "true friend of Israel who has worked a lot for her."

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in his meeting with the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, February 5, 2024. (credit: NATAN WEIL/GPO)

"At our meeting yesterday together with the delegation, I thanked him for his contribution to strengthening the relationship between the countries and for the time he spent out of his day to hear the stories of the families of the abductees," Ohana said. 

Israel and US's friendship and support

On Tuesday, Ohana and Johnson walked out together to a podium on the speaker's balcony where they professed their country's friendship and support. Johnson met with the full delegation of Knesset members and hostage families. 

Later that day, Johnson's standalone aid bill for Israel failed to pass through the house as Democratic members widely opposed it calling it a political ploy by MAGA Republicans.  

"Having such a large package with no humanitarian aid whatsoever, little to no conditions to ensure compliance with US law, and stripping that from aid to Ukraine made it a non-starter for me," Rep. Alexandria Occasio-Cortez (D-NY) told The Post on Wednesday, a day after the House vote. 

At the Israeli embassy Tuesday night, Ambassador Michael Herzog told The Post he wouldn't comment on internal American politics, but that Israel needs the funding and that he hopes a bill passes one way or the other. 

On Wednesday in the Senate, the supplemental bill tying aid for Israel with aid for Ukraine and border control policies failed to get enough Republican support as the party criticized the bill for being too soft on the US southern border. 

In a statement on Friday, the Republican Jewish Coalition acknowledged the bill isn't perfect, but urged senators to support procedural votes to advance the bill and vote in favor of its passing. 

"The Senate has taken an important first step by beginning debate on a bill that includes assistance to our embattled ally, Israel," RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in the statement. "RJC will always support aid to Israel. And especially now, it is urgent and vital that the Middle East’s only democracy has what it needs to defeat terrorism and defend its citizens. The barbaric atrocities of October 7, 2023, must never happen again."

"As Republicans, we believe that America is obligated to stand by our allies when they are under attack. We also believe the federal government is obligated to secure the border," Brooks also said. "It is imperative that our party maintain our determination to fulfill both of those promises and demand better from an administration that is failing mightily in both respects."

The Jewish Democratic Council of America slammed Johnson while also encouraging support for the Senate's bill. 

“This is the second time Speaker Johnson has chosen to play politics with Israel’s security, jeopardizing the passage of aid to Israel and other national security imperatives," JDCA CEO Halie Soifer said in a statement. 

"While JDCA strongly supports aid to Israel – with no cuts or conditions – this is a bad-faith effort by Republicans to use support for Israel to derail security assistance for Ukraine and border security. JDCA encourages swift passage of the bipartisan bill negotiated in the Senate which fully funds the President's unprecedented request for Israel, funds aid to Ukraine, and advances US national security interests in the Middle East and beyond," Soifer said. 

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Ohana met in groups and one-on-one with more than a dozen bipartisan members from the House and Senate who reaffirmed their support for Israel, and commitment to working toward bringing the remaining hostages home and defeating Hamas. 

However, The New York Times reported that this week, members of Congress received intelligence briefings where they were told that while Hamas' fighting capabilities were degraded, Israel was not close to defeating the group. The Post is working to independently confirm this reporting. 

This reporting follows a month of escalated tensions within the Knesset and Israeli society as a whole over Netanyahu's war aims, his stance over not stopping the war until Hamas is totally defeated, and pressure to agree to a hostage deal. At the end of January, Netanyahu rejected a proposed deal from Hamas in which Israel would have to agree to a total ceasefire. Knesset members from the coalition and opposition both threatened to leave the government over different deals. 

A separate group of hostage family members also traveled throughout the US last week, meeting with lawmakers, government officials, and the Red Cross. 

One of the trip's participants Sharon Kalderon, whose brother-in-law remains hostage in Gaza, told The Post on Thursday she'd absolutely support a full ceasefire if that's what it took to bring the hostages home. 

"I know not everyone supports it, but we don't have any other choice," Kalderon told The Post. "If this is the only way to bring them back; we stop the war. We stop the fighting right now."

"We'll have time for that. Now, the only mission is to bring them back home," she also said. 

But the war escalated on Friday with the IDF striking a hospital in Khan Younis, a southern city in Gaza almost 11 kilometers from Rafah, where over one million displaced Gazans sought refuge at the beginning of the war. 

According to reporting from The Post, the IDF found a second round of Hamas hostage cages underground in Khan Yunis. The Post also reported IDF sources suggested that some of Hamas's leadership and the hostages may be in Rafah, hiding among around 1.5 million Palestinian civilians. 

On Thursday, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby and State Department spokesman Vivek Patel both said from their podiums the administration hadn't seen any plans from Israel on operations in Rafah, despite Netanyahu publicly broadcasting his intentions to conduct operations in Rafah 

Kirby and Patel both projected the administration's opposition to conducting operations in Rafah to avoid worsening the existing humanitarian crisis.  

“A military operation would be a disaster” for the more than a million Palestinians who have sought refuge there “and it’s not something that we would support,” Kirby said Thursday. 

On Thursday night during an unscheduled, nationally broadcasted prime-time news conference, Biden took reporter's questions on the war in Gaza. Biden said he's "in the view that the conduct of the response in the Gaza strip has been over the top," a comment the White House stood by on Friday. In Biden's remarks Thursday night he also emphasized the need for humanitarian aid in Gaza and for negotiating for a sustained pause in fighting to allow aid. 

A spokesperson for Ohana on Friday denied that Biden's "over the top" comment was referring to Israel. 

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken on the phone Thursday with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to discuss post-conflict planning for Gaza, the need to increase humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, and West Bank stabilization efforts.  

"Secretary Austin reiterated the need to protect civilians as Israel conducts its operations against Hamas. Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant also discussed the US response to attacks against US forces by Iranian-aligned militia groups," according to the Pentagon. 

On Saturday, The Post reported that three senior members of the Hamas police in Rafah were killed as a result of an attack on their vehicle in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah. Reuters reported 17 people in Rafah were killed during airstrikes on Friday night. These strikes come as Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to begin preparations to enter Rafah and evacuate civilians. 

It's unclear what the US knew ahead of the strikes on Friday and Saturday. 

The strike in Khan Younis on Friday coincided with Ohana's visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where the Knesset speaker met with UN's Interparliamentary Union members from Uruguay, Belgium, Tanzania, and Germany before addressing the full Interparliamentary Union. 

Germany and Uruguay, long-time allies of Israel, were among the 23 countries that abstained from voting in the General Assembly's symbolic ceasefire resolution adopted in December. 

Belgium, Tanzania, and 151 other countries voted in favor of the resolution. 

Ohana was slated to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday afternoon but canceled after Guterres made critical remarks against Israel on Thursday and Friday morning. The leadership of the Hostage and Missing Families Forum in New York highly criticized Ohana's cancellation, indicating it was a political move. 

"The UN’s duty is to emphasize the importance of releasing the hostages, to put international pressure on all parties involved, and to help us with our negotiations with Qatar," Forum leader Omer Lubaton-Granot said in a statement. "It is very unfortunate that Amir Ohana canceled his meeting with the UN Secretary-General. In order to save the hostages, it is necessary to speak with everyone. The families of the hostages and the hostages themselves have no time for boycotts, and the official visits abroad are meant to advance the needs of Israel and its citizens, not to advance your political agenda and attempt to improve your place in the primaries.”

In a post on X, Ohana said the cancellation of the meeting did not come in a vacuum. 

"I intended to try and convince, as well as hand him a book we prepared in the Knesset, documenting the 7.10 with still images. But yesterday he again called on the State of Israel to stop fighting, criticizing it 'even if Hamas uses human shields,'" Ohana wrote on X. "There are also lost causes and red lines. I will not whitewash Guterres."

Several UN offices on Friday expressed criticism and concern over Netanyahu's evacuation and operation plans for Rafah.

"We're extremely worried about the fate of civilians in Rafah," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday, according to The Post's reporting. 

"What is clear is that people need to be protected, but we also do not want to see any forced displacement - forced mass displacement - of people, which is by definition against their will," Dujarric said. "We would not support in any way forced displacement, which goes against international law."

It's unclear if the full ground operation in Rafah will have begun by the time Ohana returns home to Israel on Sunday. 

Ohana's staff declined The Post's several requests to make the speaker available for a one-on-one interview during his trip through the US. 

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that the IDF was "Far from finishing" the fighting in Khan Yunis during a ground assessment in the Gaza Strip alongside the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, on Saturday.

The two officials commended the progress made so far, including over 1,200 dead terrorists from ground forces operations and another 1,200-1300 dead terrorists from airstrikes in Khan Yunis.

Halevi stated that he also wants "more dead commanders" from Hamas in the upcoming operations.

The international community, including Israel’s staunch allies the United States and Germany, have publicly opposed IDF plans to launch a military operation against Hamas in Gaza’s Rafah.

Egypt has warned that its 1979 peace treaty with Israel could be at risk, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. 

Egypt stressed on Saturday that it would not allow any mass displacement of Palestinians into its territory. "There is limited space and great risk in putting Rafah under further military escalation due to the growing number of Palestinians there," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, warning that an escalation would have "dire consequences.”

Saudi Arabia and Jordan called for the United Nations Security Council to intervene.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi posed on X, “Another bloodbath in Gaza cannot be allowed. An Israeli attack on 1.5m Palestinians already facing inhumane conditions in Rafah will cause a massacre of innocent people."

An Israeli tank stands amid the rubble as Palestinians flee Khan Yunis on January 27, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

Opponents see IDF plans causing humanitarian catastrophe

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday that “a large-scale IDF offensive in Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe in the making. The people of #Gaza cannot vanish into thin air.”

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell wrote on X, “Reports of an Israeli military offensive on Rafah are alarming. It would have catastrophic consequences worsening the already dire humanitarian situation & the unbearable civilian toll.

Rafah, which is located by Gaza’s border with Egypt, has hosted many of the Palestinians who fled from their homes in the north to escape Israel’s military campaign against Hamas that began after the October 7 attack.

It’s estimated that over 1.3 million Palestinians are in that area, which is also a Hamas stronghold and territory through which the terror group has smuggled weapons into the enclave. 

The situation is made more complicated by Egypt’s refusal to allow Palestinians to flee across the border into its country, fearing that the displacement would become permanent.

The timing of the operation just before the month-long Ramadan holiday that begins on March 10 forces the IDF into a tight schedule for the operation lest it run into the holiday, which has in the past been an explosive period for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

According to the WSJ an Egyptian delegation was in Israel Friday to warn against a Rafah military operation or the displacement of Palestinians into the Sinai desert.

Egypt, according to the WSJ, has also warned Hamas that if it doesn’t reach a deal for the release of 136 hostages held in Gaza within two weeks, Israel would proceed with its military operation in Rafah.

On Friday afternoon the Prime Minister’s Office said “It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah.”

It acknowledged the importance of protecting innocent Palestinians. “It is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat,” the PMO said.

“Therefore, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the IDF and the security establishment to submit to the Cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions.”

While in Tel Aviv last week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli officials about the US concern regarding the operation.

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby bluntly told reporters that the US opposed it unless there was a credible plan that would protect civilians and prevent their deaths.

On Saturday, Baerbock wrote on X, “Israel must defend itself against Hamas. At the same time, it must do whatever it can to alleviate civilian suffering. That's why another humanitarian pause is needed, also to finally get the hostages home. How to get there will be on my agenda when I visit Israel next week.” 

The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Netanyahu's plans aimed to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

"Taking this step threatens security and peace in the region and the world. It crosses all red lines," it stated.

At the United Nations headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a humanitarian truce.

"It is time to have a humanitarian ceasefire before a gigantic tragedy develops in Gaza if we have the same kind of intensity of military operations in Gaza that we have seen in Khan Younis and other parts of Gaza territory. I mean, the same in Rafah, then.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Israel is considering sending the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, to Cairo next week to take an active role in the hostage deal talks, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

According to the reports, the talks would include the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, the Egyptian General Intelligence Director, Abbas Kamel, and the Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

An Israeli official source claimed that the decision to send the heads of the agencies depends on a "change of direction"  in the hostage deal talks that Israel optimistically expects to take place.

This is a developing story.

The Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday neither Iran nor Lebanon had sought to expand hostilities in the region, four months after Hamas' attack on Israel set off a series of flare-ups across the Middle East.

"Iran and Lebanon confirm that war is not the solution, and that we absolutely never sought to expand it," Hossein Amirabdollahian told a press conference alongside his Lebanese counterpart in Beirut.

Lebanon's Iran-backed terror organization, Hezbollah, said on Saturday it had seized an Israeli Skylark drone over Lebanese air space "in good condition."

In spite of Iran-backed Hezbollah seizing this Israeli drone in Lebanon, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday that neither Iran nor Lebanon had sought to expand hostilities in the region, four months after Hamas' attack on Israel set off a series of flare-ups across the Middle East.

The Skylark is a small, unmanned aerial vehicle typically used for surveillance, intelligence collection and is produced by Israel-based weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. There are different types of drones for carrying out airstrikes, which are generally larger than those used for surveillance. These larger drones have become more commonly used in the last year in the West Bank and Gaza. 

Drone strike in Lebanon

On Saturday, a drone strike targeted a car north of Sidon in southern Lebanon, killing three individuals, including a Hezbollah fighter, Lebanese security sources told Reuters.

The strike reportedly targeted a figure associated with Hamas, but the security sources told Reuters that the supposed intended target survived the incident.

An Israeli soldier launches a Skylark unmanned aerial vehicle near the border with Gaza Strip August 4, 2014. (credit: REUTERS/NIR ELIAS)

Israeli media, citing Lebanese media sources, named the Hamas-associated individual as Bassel Saleh. Saleh was reportedly wounded by the strike. His condition is unknown.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing two drones flying over the area for hours - before two consecutive explosions were heard, according to Israeli media. The area is about 55 km from the border with Israel.

Three senior members of the Hamas police in Rafah were killed as a result of an attack on their vehicle in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, according to Israeli media reports from Saturday afternoon.

Those killed are the director of investigations Ahmed al-Yakoubi, his deputy Ayman al-Rantisi, and Ibrahim Shatt.

The strike comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to begin preparations to enter Rafah.

Netanyahu ordered the IDF to begin planning to evacuate civilians from Rafah into areas of Gaza cleared of Hamas units.

Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, take shelter in a tent camp, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the border with Egypt, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 8, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

Impossible to leave Hamas in Rafah

"It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah," the statement noted.

"On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat."

Netanyahu was criticized for the plan by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN, " [Israel] taking this step threatens security and peace in the region and the world. It crosses all red lines."

"We're extremely worried about the fate of civilians in Rafah," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

Sirens sound in Northern Israel in towns surrounding Shlomi due to a hostile aircraft intrusion.