The Israeli army announces the discovery of the body of a hostage near Al-Shifa hospital

Middle East

The Israeli army announced Thursday that it had found the body of an Israeli hostage kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack near Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city.

An army statement explains that the body of this woman, kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, “was removed by Israeli army forces from a building adjacent to the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip and transported to Israeli territory” .

He added that his soldiers recovered the body of Yehudit Weiss, one of about 240 abducted people.

Israel’s army chief of staff said on Thursday that Israel is close to destroying the Hamas movement’s military system in the northern Gaza Strip. Lieutenant General Herzi Halevy said: “We are close to destroying the military regime in the northern Gaza Strip. We will complete it.”

Bombing of two compounds belonging to some Hamas leaders

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said Thursday that Israeli forces had targeted two underground compounds “in which numerous Hamas leaders are hiding.” The spokesperson did not mention the fate of any of these leaders, but added: “Two powerful attacks were carried out on two different underground complexes.”

Adraee explained that among the leaders who were in the first compound were “Ahmed Al-Ghandour, commander of Hamas’ Northern Gaza Strip Brigade, and Ayman Siyam, commander of Hamas’ Rocket Force.” He added: “Some senior leaders of the political wing of Hamas were hiding in the second compound, including Rawhi Mushtaha, close to Yahya Al-Sinwar, as well as Issam Al-Dalis, head of the Hamas government. Follow-up and other leaders .”

He continued, “Hamas is trying to hide the results of the attacks, and I cannot speak further, but it can be confirmed that the underground facility was severely damaged.”

The Israeli army said it found a Hamas tunnel opening and a vehicle containing weapons in the Shifa medical complex in Gaza. The army added: “In Al-Shifa hospital, Israeli army forces found a tunnel opening and a vehicle containing a large number of weapons.” The army released video clips and images of the tunnel opening and the weapons.

Gradual return of residents from the areas surrounding Gaza

In this context, the Times of Israel newspaper quoted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as saying Thursday that he expects some residents of the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip to be able to return to their homes early next year.

Gallant added in a statement released by his office that a meeting was held with some senior Ministry of Defense officials on ways to allow those living up to seven kilometers from the Gaza border to return to their homes in early 2024 “after rehabilitating the cities and creating the required safety conditions”.

“We are working now to reach a situation where some city residents can return as of January 1, particularly those within four to seven kilometers” of Gaza, he continued, stressing that all security data points to the possibility of this.

The Israel Broadcasting Authority on Thursday quoted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as saying that Israeli forces had completed control of the entire western part of Gaza City. Gallant added that the army has begun the next phase of controlling the entire city.

He continued: “There are important achievements in Al-Shifa hospital. The forces are working precisely and decisively and with very high coordination between the air, naval and land forces, and are equipped with very strong intelligence information and complete”.

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