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The National
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Nine children among 20 reported dead after Israeli strike in eastern Gaza city
At least 20 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed and dozens more wounded when an Israeli air strike hit a group of people near a school in eastern Gaza city on Saturday night, Palestinian media reported. The official Wafa news agency said civilians were struck close to Abdel Fattah Hammoud School in Al Tuffah neighbourhood of the city, citing its correspondent. In a separate incident, two Palestinians were killed and others injured by Israeli shelling near the entrance to Al Bureij in central Gaza. The latest violence comes as hopes run higher for a ceasefire after US President Donald Trump said an agreement could be reached within a week. Mediator Qatar has spoken of a window of opportunity. The US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after a previous truce collapsed on March 18 when Israel resumed military operations. 'We think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire,' Mr Trump said on Friday, without elaborating. In Doha, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said negotiators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from the Israel-Iran ceasefire to work towards a Gaza truce. Trump predicts ceasefire in Gaza 'within the next week' Sources familiar with the peace talks, which are taking place in Cairo, have told The National that negotiations have gathered pace in recent days, with US envoy Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American, engaging in intense conversations with the Egyptian mediators and senior Hamas officials. Mr Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in the region in the coming days, when he will visit Egypt, Israel and Qatar, according to the sources. A midlevel Israeli official was in Cairo last week and senior negotiators from Israel's Mossad spy agency and military were expected soon, the sources said. There has been no confirmation of this from the Israeli government. Efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza have been stalled for months. More than 56,000 people have been killed in the enclave since the conflict began in October 2023 with the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israeli communities, in which about 1,200 people died. Israel's military offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and led to a humanitarian crisis in the territory, with dire shortages of basic essentials and the UN warning of famine. The US and Israel last month launched a new aid system under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group, to address the humanitarian concerns. But the group has drawn intense criticism after scenes of chaos and bloodshed near its aid distribution sites. Since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near GHF aid centres while seeking food, according to local authorities. The GHF has denied that deaths took place in the immediate vicinity of its aid points, but the UN and other aid organisations have refused to work with the group, calling its distribution system a 'death trap'. Haaretz on Thursday published a report quoting unnamed soldiers saying they were ordered to deliberately fire live bullets at crowds near distribution centres to disperse them, even when they posed no threat.
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘A US Bargaining Chip' – What Remains of Hamas' Tunnel Arsenal?
Hamas has recently stepped up its release of videos showing Israeli captives held in its tunnel network, along with footage of armed fighters emerging from underground to launch attacks against Israeli forces in areas including Beit Hanoun, Al-Tuffah, and Rafah. A raid claimed by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, on Wednesday in the vicinity of Al-Zahraa Mosque in the Al-Jneina neighborhood of eastern Rafah, has once again spotlighted the group's use of tunnels—particularly in Rafah, a city Israeli military sources say is now under their full control. The reappearance of such scenes, nearly a year and a half into Israel's military campaign in Gaza, has prompted fresh Israeli acknowledgement that Hamas' tunnel infrastructure remains largely intact despite repeated attempts to destroy it. In April, Israel's Channel 12 cited Israeli security sources as saying that just 25% of Hamas tunnels had been neutralized. The figures underscore growing Israeli concerns about the resilience and extent of the subterranean system beneath Gaza. Due to its clandestine nature, estimates of the tunnel network vary widely. Palestinian sources describe it as a sprawling maze comprising around 1,300 tunnels, plunging as deep as 70 meters underground and stretching some 500 kilometers. Former Israeli National Security Adviser Jacob Nagel estimated in October 2023 that the tunnels could extend for 'thousands of kilometers.' Engineering Feat Involving Thousands Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the recent reactivation of tunnels by the group's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, is 'natural given the ongoing, though limited, military confrontation in some areas.' They added that tunnel use could expand 'as the ground offensive intensifies.' The sources described the tunnels as a 'vital military pillar' and claimed Israel has yet to fully understand their structure. 'The network is the product of years of engineering work involving thousands of operatives,' one source said. While acknowledging that parts of the network were hit during the war, the sources said Hamas has since repaired and reused many of the damaged passages. 'Some tunnels remain undetected, even in areas where the Israeli army operated and destroyed nearby routes,' they said. They also claimed that guards responsible for Israeli hostages have recently used tunnels to move captives again, particularly after they were temporarily housed in above-ground locations during the last ceasefire. For over a decade, Israel has waged a persistent campaign to detect and destroy Hamas' underground tunnel network in Gaza, believing it had neutralized the threat after constructing a fortified barrier and sealing known tunnels with expanding foam. But recent footage and attacks suggest the tunnels remain a key part of Hamas' war strategy — and a potential bargaining chip in future negotiations. In the years following the completion of the Gaza border wall, Israel reduced surveillance around the enclave, withdrawing weapons from nearby communities and dismantling several watchtowers, confident that Hamas' tunnel ambitions had been thwarted. Yet Palestinian militants used this lull to expand a vast web of underground passages within Gaza. According to sources familiar with the matter, Hamas constructed tunnels for offensive operations, defensive positions, and command-and-control purposes — some designed to shield senior political and military leaders during conflict. Tunnels as a Bargaining Tool Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that in past truce negotiations, including US-backed efforts, mediators had called on Hamas to relinquish its military infrastructure, including its tunnels, as part of any disarmament framework. 'The tunnels are seen as a dangerous asset that could allow Hamas to launch new offensives, even years down the line,' one source said, adding that the demand to dismantle them was part of broader demilitarization proposals. While discussions around the tunnels predated their reemergence in recent videos, Hamas' renewed use of them has shaken Israeli confidence. Despite conducting sweeping operations across Gaza — including extended searches lasting weeks in some areas — Israeli forces now acknowledge that much of the network remains operational. Before Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in 2023, Hamas had reportedly maintained tunnels for specific purposes — including ones to shelter its leadership. However, over 18 months of war have degraded the group's infrastructure. Multiple key figures were killed in tunnel strikes, including Ahmed Al-Ghandour, commander of Hamas' northern brigade, and Politburo member Rawhi Mushtaha. Still, tunnel warfare continues. In cities like Khan Younis, Israeli troops returned to areas previously cleared, only to discover new or rebuilt tunnels. Military tactics and engineering efforts to permanently disable the network have so far yielded limited results. Hamas sources say the group deliberately withheld some tunnels from use during the war to avoid detection by Israeli combat engineers. Should Israel widen its ground operations, they warn, those hidden passages may soon come into play.
