Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on November 8 that its troops have found and destroyed some 130 tunnel shafts in the Gaza Strip since the start of the ground operation there.
Troops of 460th “Bnei Or” Armor Brigade with engineering forces found a number of tunnel entrances next to a structure with car batteries, which are thought to be hooked up to the tunnel’s air filtration system, the IDF said, adding that troops of the 933rd “Nahal” Brigade captured a Hamas training camp in northern Gaza.
Moreover, the IDF said that the troops found a staging ground within the camp, where Hamas fighters had prepared weapons and food in order to carry out an attack. Within the camp, several tunnel entrances were also found.
Separately, the IDF announced that it had struck a Hamas anti-tank missile launch position in Gaza, killing in a second strike the operatives who attempted to flee.
Troops of the 7th “Hativa Sheva” Armored Brigade identified a number of Hamas fighters at the position, which the IDF said connects to a weapons depot via a tunnel. The troops called in an airstrike on the site. Some of the fighters who managed to escape to the roof of the building were hit in a second airstrike.
The IDF also announced that it had targeted a mortar-launching squad within Gaza shortly after it fired projectiles at Israel.
From its side, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its fighters had damaged or destroyed 13 main battle tanks and three armored personnel carriers of the IDF with rocket-propelled grenades during the day. The fighters also targeted several gatherings of troops and equipment with mortars and anti-tank guided missiles.
The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also shelled several gatherings of the IDF and released video footage showing an attack with a rocket-propelled grenade against a Merkava Mark4 tank.
IDF recent strikes on Gaza were not as intense as previous days. Still, hundreds of casualties were reported. The Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip said the death toll from the strikes has reached 10,569, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women.
During the day, thousands of Palestinians evacuated northern Gaza via a humanitarian corridor opened by the IDF on the Salah a-Din Road. Many more are still trapped, however.
Reports in Hebrew media suggest that a temporary ceasefire could be announced soon. United States President Joe Biden asked for a three-day “pause” in Israeli operations a day earlier. Qatar is also making efforts to broker a one to two-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10-15 of more than 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
