what to remember from December 17

The WHO denounces a “bloodbath” at al-Chifa hospital in the Gaza Strip. France has asked Israel “to shed light” on the death of a Quai d’Orsay agent in a bombing on Saturday.

Israeli strikes continue on Gaza, killing at least 36 people according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, Sunday December 17. The Israeli armed forces announced the discovery of the “largest tunnel” dug under Gaza by Hamas. One of three Israeli hostages shot dead “by mistake” in the Gaza Strip on Friday was buried north of Tel Aviv. Here is what to remember from this new day of conflict.

Israeli army claims to have discovered ‘largest tunnel’ dug under Gaza by Hamas

The Israeli armed forces claim to have discovered a “massive network of tunnels, which is divided into several branches”, “extends for more than four kilometers and only arrives 400 meters from the Erez crossing point” between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip. They also claim to have discovered a large number of weapons ready to be used in the event of an attack.

According to an AFP journalist authorized to go there, the tunnel is equipped with a system of pipes, electricity, ventilation, sewers, communication networks and rails. The neutralization of the tunnels is one of the priorities of the Israeli operation, while the Gaza Strip would be dug with 1,300 galleries over 500 kilometers, according to estimates from the Institute of Modern Warfare at the American military academy West Point .

Al-Chifa hospital in Gaza transformed into a ‘bloodbath’ according to WHO

Devastated by Israeli bombings, the emergency department of al-Chifa hospital, located in northern Gaza, is “a bloodbath”with hundreds of injured patients and new arrivals “every minute”, writes the World Health Organization. A team from WHO and other UN agencies was able to deliver medical equipment to the hospital on Saturday, where “tens of thousands of people displaced” took refuge for shelter.

More than 36 dead in Israeli bombings

The Hamas Health Ministry deplored the death of 24 Palestinians killed in the Jabaliya camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip, during an Israeli bombardment. Other strikes killed at least twelve people in the central town of Deir al-Balah, according to the Hamas government.

France calls on Israel to “shed light” on the death of a Quai d’Orsay agent

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called on Israel “to shed light on the circumstances” of the bombing which cost the life of a Quai d’Orsay agent in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, on Saturday December 16. The man, whose identity was not revealed, had worked for France since 2022 and was injured during an Israeli army strike on a home on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement. .

“The IDF is verifying and investigating this tragedy and as soon as we have all the elements and details, we will send them to the French authorities”, said a spokesperson for the Israeli army, Olivier Rafowicz, on Sunday during a meeting with Catherine Colonna. The minister also expressed concern “at the highest point” by the situation in Gaza and calls for “a new immediate and lasting truce”while calling not to forget the victims of Hamas attacks.

One of three Israeli hostages shot “by mistake” in the Gaza Strip buried

At the funeral of Alon Shamriz, one of the three Israeli hostages killed “by mistake” by the Israeli army on Friday, relatives accused the army of “abandoned” And “murdered” the 26-year-old young man. “You did everything right”said his brother Ido Shamriz during his burial in Shefayim, a kibbutz located north of Tel Aviv.

“You survived 70 days of hell”Alon’s mother Dikla said during her eulogy. “One more moment and you would have been in my arms”, did she say. Some 250 people were taken hostage during the unprecedented attack launched on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil, which left around 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, according to the authorities. To date, 129 hostages are still being held in Gaza.

Telecommunications partially restored in the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian operator Paltel reported in a press release “gradual recovery” of the network, down since Thursday, in the center and south of the territory.