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Day 2 – Where's the Tunnels ? – IsraelI Attack on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-11-17
Day 2 (Nov. 16) of Israel’s attack on the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City was much quieter than on Day 1. The major news was Israel’s difficulty in showing evidence of tunnels and an underground headquarters which they claimed to exist. Israel did show what they claimed to be a tunnel entrance. No new weapons were found, but some independent verification was made of the ones found yesterday. A deceased hostage was found nearby. Other related events are mentioned as appropriate. The text from relevant documents is given in an Appendix.
Please note that this diary is intended as a news report, and not an analysis or opinion piece. Nevertheless, opinions are given by the author on certain items. A poll is at the end.
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The Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City was attacked by Israel’s IDF Wednesday morning. The IDF stayed on the hospital grounds overnight and during the next day. It’s unclear how many of the hospital buildings they entered, and if they stayed in any of them overnight. The hospital is continuing operations as best as they can under extremely difficult conditions.
The IDF continued to search for Hamas soldiers, weapons, tunnels, and underground facilities. No new weapons were found, but Israel claimed to have found an entrance to a tunnel.
TUNNEL ENTRANCE and HEADQUARTERS (Command Center)
The IDF claimed to have found the entrance to a Hamas tunnel and posted pictures and a video of it. However, they didn’t go inside of it, nor looked inside of it (based on their report), so we don’t know what is inside the tunnel. The Washington Post verified it as within the hospital complex. An overall picture of the tunnel is below.
The tunnel is on the grounds of the hospital, and likely in one of the two courtyards. We were never shown a picture of the tunnel entrance before it was dug up. What we see is a hole in the ground, that opens into something black and is identified as a tunnel, as shown below.
Exactly what we are looking at is unclear. It could well be a Hamas tunnel. It could also be one of the hospital’s utility tunnels connecting the buidlings together (see last 2 sentences). A picture of a utility tunnel is to the side. Israel should know where these utility tunnels are located as an Israeli firm dessigned the hospital. Please note that the claim that the hospital has utility tunnels needs confirmation. It is likely true because large facilities like hosipitals have these tunnels instead of burying the utilities in the ground.
A Concrete Utility Tunnel with Pipes along the Walls and a Shelf (or tray) for Wires an Cables at the top right.
The Entrance to a Utility Tunnel in a Sidewalk.
Tunnel Entrance at Al-Shifa Hospital per IDF. The entrance was most likely uncovered by a bulldozer with a backhoe as there were bulldozers nearby.
By adjusting the exposure, we can make out more of what is inside of the hole. A picture is below that the author labeled based upon the tunnel being a utility tunnel. There are two concrete columns, C, and another concrete structure, V ?, to the left. The opening between them may be too narrow for a large person to pass thru based upon the foot, F, at the bottom right. What is beyond these columns is unknown. In front of the columns is a space large enough for a person to fit in. What is to the left and right of this space isn’t known.
Annotated Tunnel Entrance. Annotation based on assumed utility tunnel. (Picture enhanced by author to “see” into the hole.)
The V ? is a round, concrete structure with a round piece on top. The middle of the round piece appears to be depressed based on the dirt appearing to sink in. This structure is probably hollow inside. If so, then it could be a vent for the tunnel, an opening to feed wires and pipes thru, or both.
The other items in the hole – H, S, T, W and ? -- are as follows based upon this tunnel being a utility tunnel. H looks like a curved handle to grab onto to get into or out of the hole. S is a shelf (usually called a tray) to run wires along. T are tubes. The lower T could be for liquids or wires. The upper T is a square tube embedded in concrete. There is a wire, W, comining out of it. The ? is unknown.
Hamas would be expected to use these tunnels instead of digging separate ones. Thus, Israel’s claim of “Hamas tunnels” makes sense when viewed from this perspective.
The Command Center, or Headquarters reported on Wednesday is said to be in a different department than the MRI based upon the press report in the Appendix. Nothing further is said in this report, or elsewhere, as to which department, nor are any pictures provided of this headquarters.
It isn’t known if the finding of this tunnel has quieted the media and others who have been criticizing Israel for not being able to provide evidence of tunnels. The author suspects the media hasn’t been quieted as we have yet to be shown any pictures of the headquarters that Israel claims to have found.
WEAPONS
No new weapons were found on Thursday. Two journalists were allowed inside to verify the claims of weapons found in the MRI building. The reporters were from the BBC and Fox News. (The BBC reporter is shown in the headline picture.) They were allowed in the MRI building at night, and given a tour of the building. (The interior was brighly lit.) They saw the same weapons that we saw on Wednesday and which were reported on in Day 1’s diary.
HOSTAGE
The body of Hamas’ hostage Yehudit Weiss was found on Thursday in a structure adjacent to the Al Shifa hospital. She was 65 years old being treated for breast cancer. She lived in Be’eri Kibbutz, which is about 3 miles east of Israel’s border with Gaza, across from the point the IDF invaded Gaza. She was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, and held as a hostage until her death. Her husband was killed in Hamas’ attack. She was the mother of 5 children. A picture of her in better days is shown below.
Yehudit Weiss in Better Days
OTHER
Hamas’ Political Bureau Chief and Iran’s Supreme Leader in 2021.
The prior diary mentioned a meeting between Hamas’ Esmail Haniyeh and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in early November per Reuters on November 15 and Iranintl (who didn’t report what was said). A picture of their meeting in 2021 is at right. (Haniyeh is the chariman of Hamas’ Political Bureau and a senior leader of Hamas.) During the meeting, Khamenei told Haniyeh “You gave us no warning of your Oct. 7 attack on Israel and we will not enter the war on your behalf,” according to Hamas and Iranian officials familiar with the meeting. On Thursday, November 16, Hamas denied that any such meeting took place, and said it regretted the “publication of unfounded news.” There was no comment from Iran. (author’s note: go figure)
The actual document of the UN Security Council resolution on ceasefires and hostages passed on Wednesday was still not posted on the UN site as of the end of day Thursday. The author suspects that it was still undergoing translation.
As of the writing of this diary, the IDF is still inside the buildings of Al-Shifa, and are likely to remain for a while. Further information will likely emerge during the coming days. The author suspects things will be less dramatic than on the first day.
==============. END OF DIARY =============. Appendix Below =========
APPENDIX
IDF Statement on Yehudit Weiss (first paragraph only)
The body of Yehudit Weiss, who was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization, was extracted by IDF troops from a structure adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip and was transferred to Israeli territory. In the structure in which Yehudit was located, military equipment including Kalashnikov rifles and RPG's were also found.
IDF Press Statement on Al-Shifa Hospital
There was no press conference on the IDF website for Thursday, Nov. 16.
A press report from Nov. 15 from the IDF that discusses the attack on the Al-Shifa Hospital is given below. The items in bold are in the original document. (This statement wasn’t in the report for Day 1.)
An operational command center, weapons, and technological assets found in the MRI building of the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City - IDF troops are continuing the precise and targeted operation against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Shifa Hospital.
IDF troops are continuing the precise and targeted operation against Hamas in the Shifa Hospital complex, in which the troops are conducting searches for Hamas terrorist infrastructure and assets.
As the soldiers entered the hospital complex, they engaged with a number of terrorists and killed them. Following this, during searches in one of the departments of the hospital, the troops located a room with technological assets, along with military and combat equipment used by the Hamas terrorist organization.
In another department in the hospital, the soldiers located an operational command center and technological assets belonging to Hamas, indicating that the terrorist organization uses the hospital for terrorist purposes.The technological assets and extensive intelligence information located were transferred for full review by the relevant authorities.
The IDF is continuing to operate in the hospital complex, while extracting intelligence information and preventing harm to the medical teams and civilians sheltering there.
[END]
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