Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 162?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were set to address the media in a press conference on Sunday following a meeting between the two as part of Scholz's visit to Israel.

A new survey conducted by the Jewish People’s Policy Institute revealed that two-thirds of Israelis think that the IDF should attack Hezbollah with full force, as well as shed light on other sentiments in the Israeli public about peace with the Palestinians and faith in the government post-October 7.

According to the survey, 63% of Israelis believe that Israel should attack Hezbollah with full force at the first available opportunity or after the war. Of those surveyed, 79% of the Israeli public believes there is no chance for peace with the Palestinians, and 44% think that the government, the IDF, and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have equal and shared responsibility for the October 7 failure. 

This survey was taken five months after the October attack and the evacuation of the residents of the north from their homes on March 24. 

"One of the profound results of the attack on October 7 is a sharp drop in the confidence of the Israeli public in the possibility of a political solution to the conflict. The same goes for the conduct of the war in the north (therefore, 63% believe that Israel must initiate an attack against Hezbollah) and so with regard to the post-war era (79% believe that there is no chance of peace with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future). Hamas convinced Israelis to make a decision and give up on a deal," stated Prof. Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People's Policy Institute.

Two-thirds of Israelis believe that Israel should attack Hezbollah and damage the organization's ability to threaten the residents of the north, but are divided as to the timing. Approximately 29% believe that Hezbollah should be attacked in Lebanon as soon as possible, 34% support an attack in Lebanon after the end of the campaign in Gaza, and 28% prefer continuing to strive for a political arrangement that will prevent military escalation in the north.

The gap on this issue between the supporters of the coalition, who tend to side with the attack, and the supporters of the opposition, who prefer a political solution, is clear. A large majority of voters of the coalition parties support an immediate attack (40%) or a later attack (41%) at the end of the campaign in Gaza. In contrast, a small majority of the voters of the opposition parties (51%) support the pursuit of a political settlement.

For Lieutenant-Colonel Elichan, searching senior Hamas leadership hideaway apartments was "another day at the office." The 36-year-old battalion commander described the mission in which they discovered the apartment and its trapdoor to the Hamas tunnel system.

"We kept advancing, scanning houses," described Elichan. "We knew that there were houses with terror infrastructure and terrorists," said Elichan. The houses in the neighborhood, which Elichan describes as "luxury," were nice and full of nice furniture, as well as stocked with ammunition, weaponry, or Hamas uniforms, he said.

"There isn't a house you would go into that didn't have grenades or ammunition, or Hamas uniforms, or something pertaining to Hamas," he described.

Elichan was part of the IDF push to take control of the Hamas leadership command center. The compound included a network of tunnels that connected hideaway apartments and offices of senior Hamas officials, said the IDF.

"One tunnel was different from the others," said Elichan, explaining how they knew they had found an apartment used by senior Hamas officials such as Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar. The tunnel was in the basement, covered in ceramics. When we pushed on it, a trap door opened, and there was an elevator that came out of the ground and went down 20 meters to tunnels below," he said.

IDF sits where Sinwar and Deif planned October 7 massacre

"The division commander came to see the tunnel, and I told him we should sit in a nearby apartment that was in better shape," said Elichan. "He said this is where Sinwar and [Mohammed] Deif sat and planned the massacre, and that that is where he wanted to sit. "It was a statement of values," explained Elichan. "I want to sit here even though it is in bad condition because this is where they sat."

Soldiers in Gaza (credit: EVE YOUNG)

Elichan's battalion, along with special forces, explored the tunnel thoroughly while they were in the area, he said. When they left, they destroyed the tunnel and its entrances. The battalion met challenging conditions, with a large amount of enemy engagement. "In the last month, we had four or five encounters with the enemy. Some of our soldiers were hurt, and two were killed by RPG fire," said Elichan.

"We had another very complex encounter, with enemy engagement over the course of 48 hours. Whenever you encounter an enemy, you tense up. The battalion worked well, but we got used to taking fire," he said. 

The largest tunnel discovered in the Gaza Strip until now was destroyed by combat engineers from the 162nd division in collaboration with soldiers from the Yahalom unit, the IDF announced on Sunday.

The tunnel was two-and-a-half kilometers long and connected the north of the Strip to the south.

"We will operate in Rafah. It will take a few weeks, but it will happen," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the government meeting on Sunday.

"Some in the international community are trying to stop the war before all its goals are achieved. They do this by making false accusations against the IDF, against the Israeli government, and against the Prime Minister of Israel," Netanyahu added.

"They do this by trying to bring about elections now, in the midst of the war. And they do this because they know that elections now will stop the war and paralyze the country for at least six months."

IDF troops, along with Shin Bet forces, arrested seven suspects throughout the West Bank in an overnight operation, the military said on Sunday.

In the past day, troops of the Nahal Brigade killed some 18 terrorists in the center of the Gaza Strip via sniper fire and shelling along with air force strikes, the military announced on Sunday. 

During one of the operations, forces identified four terrorists in their vicinity who were subsequently killed by an aircraft. 

In a separate operation, three terrorists were detected entering a building and were eliminated by an aircraft upon exiting it, the IDF said. 

In addition, the troops identified a terrorist exiting a military building in their area. He, too, was killed by an aircraft within minutes of identification.  

IDF fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military compound in the area of al-Khyam in response to missiles fired toward Acre overnight, the IDF reported Sunday. 

The attack was initially reported by the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Mayadeen agency on Sunday morning.

In addition, IDF fighter jets struck a Hezbollah observation post in the area of Kafr Kila on Saturday night.

IDF artillery also struck a site to remove a threat in the area of Maisat Saturday night, the IDF added.  

Hamas stated behind closed doors that Marwan Issa, deputy to Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who was targeted in an Israeli strike last week, has been killed, according to a Sunday Kan News report, citing Palestinian sources. 

According to the sources, the number three in Hamas’s high command was killed in the IDF strike in Nusirat, in central Gaza, while he was hiding in one of Hamas's terror tunnels. 

Hamas number three still buried under terror tunnel

The sources further told Kan that his body was still buried underneath the rubble. 

A combat soldier from the 601st Battalion was seriously injured on Friday fighting a battle in the center of the Gaza Strip, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari announced early Sunday morning. 

The soldier was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, and his family has been informed.