Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 72?

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi held a situational assessment on the ground in Gaza on Sunday during a visit to troops of the 99th Division.

Addressing the soldiers, Halevi referred to the accidental shooting on Friday of three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, saying, "This was a very difficult and painful incident, but one that could very easily have not happened.

"We have set three goals: to dismantle Hamas, to restore security to the residents of the Gaza border area, and the third mission is to recover the hostages."

Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer Talalka were all killed by IDF soldiers who opened fire as the hostages approached them as they exited the building where they were kept hostages.

The three were stripped to the waist, with raised hands and waving a white flag. The hostages also shouted out "help" in Hebrew but were misidentified as a threat and shot. 

Signs with 'SOS,' and 'help,' seen in the Gaza building where three Israeli hostages were killed on December 15, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

After the incident, IDF troops discovered the hostages had written "help" and "SOS" in Hebrew and English inside the building in case they were found.

"Three people walked out during this incident," Halevi said. "They took into account that they were taking a risk approaching IDF troops and, to reduce the risk, they really thought about [what to do.] They took off their shirts so that no one would think they had explosives, and they held a white cloth on a pole to identify themselves. They spoke in Hebrew. They called for help."

Iran used a group of Hebrew-speaking women in the northern city of Mashad to send sexually explicit images to Israeli soldiers in attempts to access information, news outlet Iran International revealed over the weekend. 

According to the report, the young women were trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), were fluent in Hebrew, and contacted the soldiers over social media, sending them explicit videos and photos to gain information.

The names and profiles were fake, but the photos and videos that were sent were real, according to Iran International pictures and videos to the victims. Many had the women wearing hats, heavy make-up, revealing clothes, or, in some cases, nude.

Some 22 different profiles were reportedly created. Two of the Mashad-based women were identified as Samira Baghbani Tarshizi and Haniyeh Ghaffarian.

 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan asked his US counterpart Antony Blinken in a call on Sunday for Washington to use its influence over Israel to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

Fidan told Blinken that the situation in Gaza and the West Bank was worsening due to Israeli attacks, the source said, adding that Israel should be made to sit at the negotiating table to discuss a two-state solution after a full ceasefire is achieved.

The two also discussed Sweden's NATO membership bid, which the Turkish parliament is yet to ratify, and Ankara's request to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the source added.

St.-Sgt. Boris Dunavetski was named as having fallen in battle in Gaza, the IDF announced on Sunday evening.

Dunavetski, 21, from Kiryat Bialik, served in the 46th "Shelah" Armored Battalion and was killed in battle in northern Gaza. 

Telecom services are being gradually restored in the central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, telecommunication companies Paltel and Jawwal said on Sunday.

"Our field teams were able to reach and repair the main damaged site after numerous attempts in the past days with the help of relevant international bodies," the two companies said in a joint statement.

Communication and internet services have been down in Gaza since Dec. 14.

A suspected stabbing attack occured on Sunday afternoon at the Rantis checkpoint in the West Bank. 

One person was injured, according to Magen David Adom (MDA). A 49-year-old reserve soldier was given medical aid at a gas station close to the checkpoint. He was taken to Sheba Medical Center in a stable condition. 

According to reports, the soldier was able to fire his weapon at the terrorist, wounding him. 

This is a developing story.

Hezbollah terrorists attempting to launch anti-tank missiles toward the area of Livneh in northern Israel on Sunday afternoon were struck by IDF aircraft and tanks.

A number of launches at several locations along Israel's northern border were identified, and the IDF responded by attacking the launch sites. 

The IDF has exposed a four-kilometer-long, 50-meter deep “strategic” level tunnel established personally by Muhammad Sinwar, the right-hand man and brother of Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, it announced on Sunday.

The tunnel is the largest and longest in Gaza that the IDF has ever found, directly linking the tip of northern Gaza to Jabalia toward the southern end of northern Gaza while running almost exclusively through civilian areas.

IDF sources said that they identified the tunnel as connected with Muhammad Sinwar from various intelligence items, including from Hamas video surveillance, which the IDF later seized control of.

That said, Sinwar has not been hiding in the tunnel since the war started.

Some have said that though Yahya is the Gaza chief, Muhammad is his most important operator and would have difficulty controlling Hamas at the same level without his brother.

Immediately after Israel's war in Gaza ends, all Palestinian factions including Hamas must take a serious look at the failure of their policies to achieve freedom for their people, a top Palestinian Authority official said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, 63, said war in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel meant Hamas should make a "serious and honest assessment and reconsider all its policies and all its methods" once fighting subsides.

Hamas' attacks killed 1,200 Israelis, triggering a relentless bombardment and ground war that has displaced hundreds of thousands and left much of the enclave in ruins.

Sheik, the general secretary of President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Liberation Organization, is seen by some as a potential successor. His comments were the first time a senior PLO leader has talked publicly about Hamas tactics since the Oct. 7 attacks.

Sheik also acknowledged the political path under Oslo Peace Accords was faltering and as it currently stands would not achieve the ambition of the Palestinian people for the establishment of a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders.