Israel-Hamas War: What happened on Day 341?

The chairman of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, met with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, alongside the families of the hostages and World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder in Paris, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned a deadly Israeli air strike in a designated safe zone in southern Gaza before dawn on Tuesday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"The use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas is unconscionable," Dujarric said. "Palestinians had moved to this area in Khan Younis in search for shelter, in search of safety, after being repeatedly instructed to do so by the Israeli authorities themselves."

The IDF released video footage of the tunnel in Rafah where six hostages were killed in late August.

The tunnel shaft was discovered inside a child’s bedroom in Gaza, and it extends 20 meters into the ground and connects to a 120-meter-long tunnel. The tunnel is narrow with low ceilings, no rooms, and has a metal door at its end.

“This is a ‘passage’ tunnel, not a ‘room’ tunnel. Standing up straight is impossible, and the humidity is extreme,” IDF Spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari said.

“Here, we can see their blood on the floor. This is where their final moments occurred: Hersh [Goldberg-Polin], Eden [Yerushalmi], Carmel [Gat], Ori [Danino], Almog [Sarusi], and Alex [Lobanov]. They were brutally murdered here.

Israel Air Force struck Hezbollah launchers in the Mansouri area and At Tiri, which were used throughout the day to fire rockets toward northern Israel, the IDF reported on Tuesday. 

Multiple sirens had sounded in northern Israel previously on Tuesday. According to the IDF, in western Galilee, approximately 15 rockets were identified crossing into Israel.

In the areas of Sasa and Meron, approximately 30 rockets were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. 

The IDF noted that some were intercepted, and others fell into open areas. No injuries have been reported so far. 

The IAF also struck a Hezbollah military structure in southern Lebanon in the area of Rachaf. 

The Swiss National Council passed a motion to halt funds for UNRWA, citing its reported incitement to terror and glorification of violence. The motion, passed by a small majority of 99 against 88, was filed already in March, and will have to pass in the confederation’s upper house , the Council of States, to enter into force.

In an exclusive interview with the Jerusalem Post, David Zuberbühler, member of the Swiss National Council who led the legislation, explained the reasoning behind this motion:

“Fundamentally, the media and left-wing parties, who are mostly anti-Israel anyway, fail to recognize that the main problem is the textbooks and teaching materials used in UNRWA schools. In UNRWA schools, children are taught to hate Jews and Israel. If terrorism is glorified, anti-Semitism is stoked and violence is incited in UNRWA schools, then one should not ask why a cruel act of terror like that of October 7 could have occurred.

The Prime Minister's Office condemned the comparison made by International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan between Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an official statement on Tuesday. 

"The comparison drawn by the Hague prosecutor between Israel’s prime minister and defense minister—who are combatting Hamas's murderous terrorism in accordance with the laws of war—and the war criminal Sinwar, who coldly executes Israeli hostages, is both antisemitic and a moral outrage of the highest order," the statement read.

"Regrettably, we have observed from the outset that the proceedings at The Hague are politically biased and lack any sound legal foundation."

The White House is not clear that a ceasefire deal will be reached in the wake of the execution of the six hostages, National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. 

"What's not clear to us is whether Hamas will ever come to the table in sincerity and sign on to something," he said. "So that's the complicating factor here."

Kirby said it doesn't mean that the work's not continuing; it's been made much more difficult. 

The White House is still trying to arrive at a bridging proposal, according to Kirby. 

Kirby would not specify the details of Hamas's new demands.