Israel-Hamas War - What happened on day 77?

The IDF destroyed a Hamas tunnel network in southern Gaza City’s Issa district during operational activity in the area over the last few weeks, the IDF said on Friday.

The demolished tunnel network served as a subterranean post for the Gaza-based Islamist terror organization, the IDF added. Other buildings being used as Hamas headquarters were also reportedly destroyed.

The news comes a day after the IDF announced the troops from the Yahalom special operations unit of the IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps, along with the 401st Brigade combat team, destroyed an extensive tunnel network used by senior Hamas leadership beneath Gaza City's Shejaia neighborhood.

As part of the Israeli forces hitting Hamas in the south of Gaza City, the Yiftah Battalion, along with combat engineering forces, targeted the Hamas headquarters in the area.

During their raid on the infrastructure, the IDF troops observed a terrorist squad attempting to launch an attack on the Israeli soldiers. The troops subsequently engaged and successfully eliminated the terrorists in close-quarters combat, the IDF continued.

Throughout the operational activity, the IDF also reported that many other terrorists, buildings used for terror activities, and weapons were destroyed.

Concurrently, troops of the IDF Paratroopers Brigade operating in the Issa area uncovered a number of shafts descending into the since-razed underground tunnel network.

Examination reveals the massive extent of the subterranean tunnel network 

Additional troops from Yahalom and the Oketz K-9 Unit assessed the tunnel complex beneath what the IDF has dubbed the "Issa" post, revealing a multi-level subterranean structure.

The IDF noted that the various floors of the structure were used for storage, hideouts, command and control, and to facilitate the movement of terrorists between different locations in that area of the Gaza City.

Subsequently, after employing a variety of technological capabilities with the aid of 99th Division’s combat engineering forces to further investigate the tunnel system, the troops destroyed it, the IDF said.

The tunnel network, which was reportedly hundreds of meters long, was documented with footage obtained by the Marom Brigade's Oketz K-9 Unit's dog cameras.

Dogs are regularly used by the IDF to act as the head of an advancing force. Earlier this week, Golani forces sent a camera-equipped dog ahead of them into a suspicious area. The dog was subsequently shot by Hamas terrorists.

The footage, which has been released by the IDF, recorded the terror infrastructure located in the tunnels.

The facilities were equipped with concrete bunkers, water, and electricity.

The K-9 units and their dogs have been active since the start of the war gathering intelligence that allows soldiers to enter Gaza’s various tunnel networks.

The IDF struck targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in southern Lebanon on Friday morning as several rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Israel.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.

Later on Friday morning, Hezbollah announced that two of its members had been killed in the ongoing exchanges of fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border, bringing the total number of Hezbollah terrorists killed since October 7 to 121.

Mossad intends to target senior Palestinian terrorists in Lebanon

The Lebanese Ad-Diyar newspaper cited "diplomatic sources" on Friday as stating that the Mossad intends to target senior Palestinian terrorists, including Hamas' Saleh al-Arouri and Osama Hamdan and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad Nakhalah.

A man climbs on the coffin of Hezbollah member Abbas Raad, senior Hezbollah figure and member of parliament Mohammad Raad's son. (credit: ALAA AL-MARJANI/REUTERS)

Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau who has often been tied to the terrorist movement's operations in the West Bank, has been highlighted in media reports since earlier this year as a potential target for assassination due to his role in West Bank terrorism.

The sources told Ad-Diyar that the threats are serious and that "exceptional measures" are being taken in the field. The report claimed that Bernard Émié, the director of the General Directorate for External Security, warned Lebanese officials about the threat during a recent visit to Beirut.

According to the Lebanese L'Orient-Le Jour newspaper, Israel has provided international mediators with a six to eight week deadline to find a diplomatic solution for the rising tensions with Lebanon. Israeli officials have told mediators that they're willing to make a concession and accept that Hezbollah move only 10 km from the border instead of withdrawing all the way north of the Litani River.

The European Commission on Friday said it had adopted a 118 million euros ($130 million) aid package to support the Palestinian Authority.

The commission said the aid would help pay salaries and pensions of civil servants in the West Bank, social allowances for vulnerable families, and the payment for medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals.

The EU is also ready to continue helping the Palestinian Authority in the longer term, commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

General view of the Augusta Victoria hospital in East Jerusalem September 10, 2018 (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

"We are reflecting on a wider mid-term package for next year to contribute to the economic and political stability of Gaza and the West Bank, once conditions allow on the ground, as part of wider international efforts to reinstate a two-state solution," von der Leyen said in a statement.

For 2024, the EU has also set aside 125 million euros in humanitarian aid for people in the besieged Gaza Strip, where EU commissioner Josep Borrell said food shortages had reached unprecedented levels.

"This is a grave development and should be a wakeup call for the whole world to act now to prevent a deadly human catastrophe," the EU's top diplomat said.

"Aid needs to reach those in need through all necessary means, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs."

Nir Oz resident Gadi Haggai, 73, was murdered and his body is being held by Hamas, Kibbutz Nir Oz announced on Friday.

His wife, Judith, was wounded and is still being held hostage by Hamas as well.

Across central locations in North America, close to 250 billboards will display photos of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, with a chilling slogan. Israel's Government Advertising Agency, LAPAM, has unveiled that this is a campaign they launched this week in the United States, titled "A Punch in the Stomach," centering on the heart-wrenching story of baby Kfir Bibas.

The campaign's message, "Are your children coming home for Christmas?" is aimed at highlighting the distressing situation of Kfir Bibas, a red-haired Israeli infant held captive by Hamas for over two months.

Moriya Shalom, the director of LAPAM, underscored the emotional gravity of the campaign in a statement on Friday: "This campaign feels to us all like a punch in the stomach. The plight of Kfir Bibas, screaming in chilling cries, captures a raw emotional truth that resonates universally. It's a story that transcends borders and compels attention."

LAPAM's statement further detailed the strategy behind the campaign: "Employing a programmatic approach, this campaign integrates various media platforms, adapting dynamically to the target audience. This includes a diverse mix of outdoor billboards, television, and digital media, strategically positioned across key locations in the US."

Billboard in New York's Times Square showing 11-month-old Kfir Bibas as part of a new Israeli gov't campaign to raise awareness of the hostages still held by Hamas (credit: NIR ARIELI)

Israel hopes to make impact with campaign

The scope and impact of the campaign are notable, as highlighted in LAPAM's statement: "Our efforts have garnered over a billion exposures for our various initiatives. This, combined with the over 3 billion exposures of the state's digital assets, including those of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, demonstrates the expansive reach of Israel's informational campaigns."

The "A Punch in the Stomach" campaign will feature 241 digital billboards across the US, each representing one of the individuals kidnapped by Hamas. These billboards are located in high-profile areas such as Times Square, the White House vicinity in Washington DC, and prime Los Angeles locations, amplifying the campaign's message.

In her statement, Shalom highlighted the innovative nature of the campaign: "This groundbreaking campaign represents a paradigm shift in Israel's international communication strategy. Using a data-driven, programmatic system, we are launching a comprehensive, 360° campaign that mirrors the precision and targeted impact of modern digital advertising."

Hamas spent over $1 million on the production of doors, concrete, and other workshop expenses in 2022, according to a financial document discovered by Israeli forces in Khan Yunis, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Friday.

The document, addressed to Abu-Mohammed, the commander of the al-Qassam Brigades' Khan Yunis Brigade, was written by Abu-Ali Albari from the Operations Department of the Khan Yunis Brigade.

The report was found as the IDF continued its operations in the Khan Yunis area. In recent weeks, the 98th Division has eliminated many terrorists, destroyed dozens of tunnels, and unveiled significant intelligence materials.

Among the terrorists eliminated were the head of Hamas's Khan Yunis drone formation, the commander of the observation company, and Nukhba commanders in the Khan Yunis Brigade.

In the past week, operations in Khan Yunis have expanded, with the Kfir Brigade joining the forces in the area.

Israeli forces also found large quantities of weapons inside a home in Khan Yunis, including firearms and explosive devices.

Amid operations in Khan Yunis, troops on the ground directed an Israeli Air Force fighter jet to strike a Hamas engineering operative responsible for planting explosive devices near IDF troops. A terrorist cell that exited a tunnel and fired an RPG at Israeli forces was also hit.

Weapons found in homes, schools

Additionally, in the al-Shati refugee camp along the Gaza coast, Israeli forces carried out raids against a school where Hamas terrorists were operating, locating many weapons, ammunition, and maps.

In Gaza City, Israeli forces discovered firearms, mortars, and explosives in a house next to a kindergarten. In another house, an RPG missile ready to be launched was found on a windowsill, as well as a rocket launcher ready for use and aimed toward the areas near the Gaza border.

A female soldier was slightly injured on Friday during a suspected ramming attack near the town of Barta'a. The attacker was neutralized, and the soldier was given medical aid.

This is a developing story. 

The IDF has demanded that the rapid response teams in towns in northern Israel return their weapons and only have the commander of the teams armed, the Upper Galilee Regional Council said Thursday.

The order applies to all towns that are not directly along the border fence with Lebanon.

"The Israeli government has become Israel's failure," said Giora Zaltz, the head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council. "No one there remembers who fought bravely on October 7 and once again those who live on the frontlines are being abandoned to their fate. The conduct is as if the war is over while disbanding the standby units in some of the Upper Galilee towns could cost lives. Not only is the war not over, it is intensifying, and it is enough to check the events of the last day to understand this."

Some 20,057 Palestinians have been killed and 53,320 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said on Friday.

Lt. Shai Ayeli, 21, from Ashkelon, fell in battle in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Tal Shua, 31, from Beersheba, fell in battle in the south of the Gaza Strip.