Israel finds large tunnel adjacent to Gaza border

이스라엘군, 가자 국경검문소 인근서 4㎞ ’최대’ 터널 발견 The Israeli military said Sunday that it discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza, near what was once a busy crossing into Israel. It added that the tunnel facilitated the transit of vehicles, militants and supplies in preparation for the October 7th attacks. Lee Seung-jae has more. The Israeli Defense Forces said Sunday that it had discovered a major tunnel shaft close to what was once a busy crossing from Gaza to Israel. The entry to the tunnel is also located a few hundred meters from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base. The military noted that the tunnel stretched more than four kilometers, and connected with a sprawling tunnel network across Gaza. It also added that the tunnel was used to move vehicles, militants, and supplies in preparation for the October 7th attacks. Israel’s chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters that troops had discovered at least two other “city-sized” tunnels. Meanwhile, two Egyptian security sources said Sunday that both Israel and Hamas are open to holding renewed talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. However, disagreements remain over implementation. Hamas is demanding that it sets the list of hostages to be released without outside influence, while calling for Israeli forces to withdraw behind pre-determined lines. While Israel agreed that Hamas can determine the hostages to be released, it’s also demanding a timeline and to see the list before setting the time and duration of the ceasefire, while refusing any withdrawal. With U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin set to visit Israel on Monday, Washington is pressuring Israel to stop large-scale airstrikes that have caused civilian casualties and switch to low-intensity military operations that precisely target Hamas. According to CNN, citing a senior Pentagon official, Austin plans to press Israel on what goals it needs to reach to transition its military operations to the next stage and to what extent it has judged that those goals have been achieved. It is unclear whether Israel will accept the U.S. request to scale back its military operations. Meanwhile Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the killing of two Palestinians who were sheltering in a Catholic church in Gaza. Calling the the killings, an act of “terrorism“, he said the attack by the Israel Defense Forces happened inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, and people who are sick or disabled. The comments come as an IDF sniper shot and killed two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where Christian families have taken refuge since the start of the war. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News. #Israel #Gaza_border #tunnel #Hamas #Palestine #Middle_East #Benjamin_Netanyahu #Israel_Defense_Forces #Daniel_Hagari #이스라엘군 #가자지구 #터널 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-12-18, 09:00 (KST)