Israel at war: What happened on Day 58?

The IDF said on Sunday that it had identified a launch from Syria towards Israel and that its artillery responded by striking the site of the launch.

The army gave no further details.

The IDF announced early Sunday morning the name of two soldiers who fell in combat in the Gaza Strip.

St.-Sgt. Aschalwu Sama, 20, from Petah Tikva, succumbed to wounds on Saturday that he sustained during combat on November 14. Sama served in the 932nd Battalion, part of the Nahal Brigade.

Sgt.-First Class (res.) Or Brandes was killed in combat in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Brandes served in the 82 Battalion of the 7th Brigade.

The number of fallen soldiers in the Israel-Hamas War now stands at 398.

Buildings lie in ruin as Palestinians carry their belongings following Israeli strikes on residential buildings at the Qatari-funded Hamad City, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 2, 2023. (credit: Ahmed Zakot/Reuters)

Israel continuing offensive in Gaza Strip

The IDF is intensifying its operations in the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis on Sunday morning.

IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee took to X (formerly Twitter) to inform residents of Khan Yunis that the IDF is increasing its operations there and to urge them to evacuate from certain neighborhoods in the city, attaching a detailed map dividing the city into small subsections.

"Residents of the Gaza Strip, the IDF has renewed its activity against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. For your safety, we urge you to move to the recognized displaced persons shelters," Edri wrote on his X account. "Compliance with evacuation orders is the surest way to keep you and your families safe."‎

‎The IDF is intensifying its operations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Sunday morning.

IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraeetook to X (formerly Twitter) to inform residents of Khan Yunis that the IDF is increasing its operations there and to urge them to evacuate from certain neighborhoods in the city, attaching a detailed map dividing the city into small subsections.

"Residents of the Gaza Strip, the IDF has renewed its activity against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. For your safety, we urge you to move to the recognized displaced persons shelters," Edri wrote on his X account. "Compliance with evacuation orders is the surest way to keep you and your families safe."‎

Seven people were killed and several others were wounded in an IDF strike on a house to the east of the southern Gazan city of Rafah, according to Palestinian media reports Sunday morning. 

The IDF instructed the residents of a number of neighborhoods in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza City to evacuate to shelters in nearby neighborhoods on Sunday morning.

#عاجل يا سكان قطاع غزة، لقد استأنف جيش الدفاع عمله القوي ضد حماس وباقي المنظمات الإرهابية في قطاع غزة. نرجو إخطاركم بما يلي حفاظاً على أمنكم وسلامتكم:

⭕️إلى السكان في أحياء المحطة، والكتيبة، وحمد، والسطر، وبني سهيلا ومعن في البلوكات 36، 54-38، 221-219
حفاظاً على سلامتكم ندعوكم… pic.twitter.com/wBa5IPSfmW

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 3, 2023

The IDF's spokesperson for Arabic media, Avichay Adraee, published instructions and a map for residents of the Al-Mahatta, Al-Katiba, Hamas, Al-Satar, Bani Suheila, and Ma'an neighborhoods (blocks 36, 38-54, 221-219 on the map published by the IDF on Friday) to evacuate to internally displaced persons camps in the neighborhoods of al-Fukhari, Al-Shaboura, Al-Zuhur, and Tel Al-Sultan.

The IDF's block alert map for Gaza is available here in Arabic.

The UK will conduct surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean, including over Israel and the Gaza Strip in order to aid efforts to rescue hostages held by Hamas, the British Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.

"Since the terrorist attacks against Israel of 7 October 2023, the UK government has been working with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals, who have been kidnapped. The safety of British nationals is our utmost priority," said the UK Defense Ministry.

"Surveillance aircraft will be unarmed, do not have a combat role, and will be tasked solely to locate hostages. Only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authorities responsible for hostage rescue," added the ministry. The aircraft that will be deployed in the area including Shadow R1s, according to The Guardian.

UK increased military presence in region shortly after Hamas massacre

In mid-October, shortly after the October 7 massacre conducted by Hamas, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak directed British military assets to be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel.

David Barr, whose sister-in-law was killed by Hamas, Ayelet Svatitzky, Ofri Bibas Levy and Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely attend a press conference of family members of British-Israeli kidnap victims, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. October 24, 2023 (credit: Hannah McKay/Reuters)

As part of the deployment, maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft were instructed to fly in the region to track threats to regional stability. The deployment included P8 aircraft, surveillance assets, two Royal Navy ships, three Merlin helicopters, and a company of Royal Marines.

Last week, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapp announced that the HMS Diamond, a Type 45 Destroyer, was on its way to the Persian Gulf to bolster the UK's naval presence in the region and to work to deter escalations from actors seeking to disrupt maritime security.

The HMS Diamond is part of a class of vessels that were "purpose built for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare," according to the UK Defense Ministry. The destroyer also has a flight deck and was being accompanied by a Wildcat helicopter.

UNRWA claimed that a report that a teacher working for the agency held an Israeli civilian hostage in the Gaza Strip was "unsubstantiated" on Friday, with community notes on X responding by listing several incidents in which UNRWA teachers were linked to or expressed support for terrorist groups.

On Wednesday, Channel 13 reporter Almog Boker posted on X that a released hostage had told him that an UNRWA teacher had held him in his attic, barely provided him with food, and neglected his medical needs.

"Uninvolved," they say, right? Well, read this story carefully. One of the abductees, held for nearly 50 days in an attic, reveals he was held by a UNRA teacher – a father of ten children. This teacher locked the victim away, barely provided food, and neglected medical needs. But…

— almog boker (@bokeralmog) November 29, 2023

In a post on X, UNRWA wrote that "spreading unsubstantiated claims about UNRWA must stop immediately."

AN UNRWA ELEMENTARY school for boys in the Gaza Strip. (credit: Ahmad Khateib/Flash90)

"Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation," added the UN agency.

🛑 Spreading unsubstantiated claims about @UNRWA must stop immediately.

Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation.

FULL Statement ⬇️https://t.co/gzNCMnVeif pic.twitter.com/1XGV99RbXw

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 1, 2023

In a community note on the UNRWA post, readers wrote "claims against UNRWA have been documented for a long time," adding a list of links to incidents of UNRWA staff being linked to or supporting terrorist organizations.

The list included a case in which a headmaster of an UNRWA school was found to be building rockets for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization and a recent report by UN Watch showing how UNRWA teachers celebrated the massacre committed by Hamas on October 7.

UNRWA demands Israeli reporter delete report about hostage in agency teacher's home

In a statement attached to the tweet, UNRWA added that it had asked Boker to provide more information, claiming that the reporter had not done so.

"In the absence of credible information to support this claim, UNRWA requests that the journalist immediately deletes the post. Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation," wrote UNRWA, saying that it takes "all allegations of breach of UN principles extremely seriously and immediately investigates them."

"Defamation attacks and the spread of misinformation about UNRWA -from any side- directly endanger the lifesaving operations of the Agency and its staff operating on the ground," added the UN agency. “These harmful and presumably gratuitous acts must stop, immediately."

Boker responded to UNRWA's statement on Saturday, writing "survivors of Hamas captivity are beginning to share their stories. One of them testified he was held hostage and starved by an UNRWA teacher. That’s not an 'allegation.' That’s a survivor testimony, and more testimonies are coming."

Survivors of Hamas captivity are beginning to share their stories. One of them testified he was held hostage and starved by an @UNRWA teacher. That’s not an “allegation”. That’s a survivor testimony, and more testimonies are coming.
While Hamas holds 136 Israeli hostages in… https://t.co/A3cBUUmE4l

— almog boker (@bokeralmog) December 2, 2023

"While Hamas holds 136 Israeli hostages in Gaza, I can’t share information that could endanger them or identify the survivor. I hope UNRWA treats this more seriously than Hamas’s theft from its stocks and abuse of its civilian facilities for terror activity."

On Saturday, the IDF said it had found dozens of rockets hidden under boxes marked with UNRWA's insignia in northern Gaza.

UNRWA has also admitted that it has found tunnels under its schools and rockets inside its schools on multiple occasions.

#OTD, 1 year ago, a Hamas terrorist tunnel collapsed underneath an @UNRWA school.

On November 8, 2023, IDF troops exposed a terrorist tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school and neutralized the tunnel.

For years, we’ve been saying this—Hamas will exploit anything and anyone to… https://t.co/KGUY9bVF2k pic.twitter.com/F2TjGLrCQ4

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 2, 2023

On Saturday, the IDF noted that a Hamas terrorist tunnel collapsed under an UNRWA school last year and that IDF soldiers had found a tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school last month.