Israeli soldiers fought in a tunnel 60 feet under Khan Yunis, killing a number of Hamas operatives. The soldiers confronted booby-trapped passageways, bombs and reinforced doors. Once through the tunnel shaft, the IDF uncovered a small, caged area where hostages had been held.
Inside the area were drawings from a five-year-old Israeli girl who had been held there before being released. Intelligence suggests that as many as 20 hostages were held inside the tunnel, which was connected to the home of a Hamas commander.
Below is footage taken by IDF soldiers inside.
136 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza
Ayelet Levy Shachar, whose daughter Naama was filmed being taken hostage with blood on her pants and her ankles sliced, penned an op-ed on Friday writing,
"I am a mother whose heart is shattered and whose nights are haunted by the absence of my beloved daughter. Our family is not complete. I have four children. I know every day and night where three of my children are. I know they are safe. But not Naama – I know nothing. It is an excruciating pain that no one should face. But along with the debilitating pain I feel, I know I must fight for her. I must be her voice...She cannot cry out for help, so I ask you all to do so on her behalf."
Senior White House adviser Brett McGurk is expected to travel to Egypt and Qatar this week, continuing the effort to secure a new release of hostages.
Iran fueling regional fighting
Iranian-backed terrorist groups continue to escalate their attacks on Americans troops, Israel and commercial shipping.
As Hamas continues to attack Israel and hold the hostages, Hezbollah now claims it has carried out 670 military operations since October 8.
In western Iraq, Iranian-backed fighters fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. airbase yesterday, injuring American personnel.
In the Red Sea, the Houthis continue their efforts to disrupt international commerce. American forces have destroyed missiles that were being prepared for launch. Today, Politicoreported on new U.S. intelligence indicating the Houthis are seeking more weapons from Iran to attack shipping lanes and other Western targets.
Senior Iranian personnel are present on nearly every front. Over the weekend, airstrikes in Syria killed senior Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, while American airstrikes killed two IRGC officials in Yemen.
Humanitarian Aid into Gaza
Israel continues to facilitate the transfer of aid into Gaza. Nearly 10,000 truckloads of goods have entered Gaza since the war started.
While the U.N. is increasing its public pressure on Israel to allow more goods into Gaza, the U.N. is failing to fully distribute all of the aid entering the area. More than 100 trucks were sitting full in Gaza and awaiting distribution.
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