'Post' visits Rafah tunnels, special forces destroy terror facility in Syria

Multiple rocket sirens sounded in Safed and several other localities in northern Israel, starting at 01:11 a.m. local time.  

The Knesset approved in its first reading a second additional budget for the fiscal year 2024, the Knesset plenum spokesperson announced on Thursday evening.

The decision is driven by the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, according to the budget proposal, which has introduced significant uncertainty and prolonged military engagement beyond initial estimates.

The first additional budget, which was based on the expectation that the intensity of the conflict would reduce by June 2024, has proven insufficient due to the extended fighting. As a result, the government has reportedly identified a need for increased civilian expenditures to address the ongoing impacts of the war.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid responded, "Where is the money coming from? The only thing being cut is the Israeli middle class and working public."

"The very act of opening the budget a second time is a failure. The sole purpose is to increase the deficit and harm Israeli citizens – government survival," emphasized MK Benny Gantz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that more pressure should be put on Hamas to accept a new Gaza deal proposal after the Palestinian terrorist group said it was only willing to implement a ceasefire free of new conditions.

The chief US negotiator, CIA head William Burns, said on Saturday that a more detailed ceasefire proposal would be made within several days.

On Wednesday, Hamas' negotiation team met the Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha and reiterated their readiness to implement an "immediate" ceasefire with Israel in Gaza based on a previous US proposal without new conditions from any party, the group said in a statement.

The main goal of Hamas with the Philadelphi Corridor tunnels was not to smuggle weapons but to facilitate firing long-range rockets, IDF sources on Thursday said during a visit by the Jerusalem Post and other Hebrew media to the corridor with Egypt.

The IDF said that there were three other ways besides the recent smuggling of weapons through the corridor during the war, which were likely responsible for the vast majority of Hamas's massive weapons buildup.

Although these points were made in a technical professional context, they could also have significant implications for the ongoing debate within Israel over how crucial it is for the IDF to hold onto the Philadelphi Corridor at all times versus whether it can be temporarily given up as part of a deal to receive some dozens of Israeli hostages from Hamas.

The IDF's General Staff Reconnaissance Unit destroyed on Sunday a Syrian underground factory for precision missiles built by Iran, according to a Thursday Axios report.

According to the report, this was the boldest operation the IDF has carried out in recent years against Iranian targets in Syria. The destruction of the factory was reportedly a significant blow to Iran and Hezbollah's covert effort to produce medium-range precision missiles in Syria.

The Israeli government has thus far maintained silence on the matter and is not taking responsibility to avoid provoking Syria, Iran, or Hezbollah into retaliation. The IDF spokesperson, the Defense Ministry, and the Prime Minister's Office have all declined to comment.

The Jerusalem Post on Thursday joined a Hebrew media visit to the largest Hamas tunnel for cross-border smuggling on the Philadelphi Corridor as well as to the tunnel shaft in Tel Sultan, Rafah where six Israeli hostages who Hamas had held were found dead on August 31.

The cross-border tunnel was large enough to fit large vehicles in it for smuggling and was the tunnel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was referring to in his presentation about such enormous tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor.

According to the IDF, this tunnel was one of nine cross-border tunnels which it has uncovered and destroyed since taking over Rafah from Hamas in May-June.