Published by an old curmudgeon who came to America in 1936 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He is a former law enforcement officer and a retired professor of criminal justice who, in 1970, founded the Texas Narcotic Officers Association. BarkGrowlBite refuses to be politically correct.
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Sunday, January 21, 2024
OF THE 136 HOSTAGES STILL HELD BY HAMAS IN GAZA, MANY ARE BELIEVED TO BE DEAD
IDF finds Khan Yunis tunnel where hostages were held
Some 20 captives were held in the tunnel, which the IDF destroyed. IDF
has killed 20%-30% of Hamas forces in Gaza, according to U.S. estimates.
A Hamas tunnel where hostages were held underneath Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, Jan. 21, 2023.
Israeli forces operating in the southern
Gaza city of Khan Yunis discovered a massive underground tunnel where
the military said on Sunday morning that around 20 hostages were held at
different times.
Soldiers from the IDF’s 98th Division encountered a booby-trapped entrance to the tunnel, which was located in the “heart of a civilian area” of Khan Yunis,
in the residence of a Hamas terrorist. Soldiers made their way through
“many obstacles” inside the tunnel, including explosives, sliding doors
and blast doors. Several terrorists confronted the troops and were
killed.
The tunnel, which was destroyed after
examination, cost millions of shekels to construct, according to the
IDF. Larger than seven football fields (830 meters, 908 yards) and at a
depth of 20 meters (22 yards), it was a branch of an underground tunnel
network built beneath the city.
According to the IDF, around 20 hostages
were held at various times in the tunnel, some of whom have been
released. They were held in a central chamber that included five barred
prison cells.
According to Israel, there are 136
hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza out of 240 taken there on Oct. 7,
although many are believed to be dead.
Other evidence was found indicating that the hostages were held there, along with intelligence and weapons belonging to Hamas.
IDF units continue to operate in Khan
Yunis, killing several terrorists over the past 24 hours and locating
“large quantities” of weapons.
Fifteen terrorists killed in northern Gaza
Israeli soldiers killed 15 terrorists in
the Daraj and Tuffah districts of Gaza City in the northern Strip.
Furthermore, troops located uniforms and “numerous” weapons in a
targeted raid on a Hamas structure.
IDF soldier slain
The IDF death toll
since the start of the Gaza ground invasion on Oct. 27 rose to 195 with
the announcement on Sunday that Sgt. First Class (res.) Uriel Aviad
Silberman, 23, from Moshav Nehalim, was killed in action in southern
Gaza.
Sgt.
First Class (res.) Uriel Aviad Silberman, killed during fighting in the
southern Gaza Strip, as announced by the IDF on January 21, 2024.
A total of 531 military personnel have been killed on all fronts since the start of the war on Oct. 7.
U.S. estimates IDF has killed 20% to 30% of Hamas forces
Israeli forces have killed 20% to 30% of Hamas fighters since the start of the war, TheWall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing estimates from U.S. intelligence agencies.
These numbers align with Israeli estimates
published last week that 9,000 terrorists had been killed in Gaza, in
addition to some 1,000 killed inside Israel on and after Oct. 7.
Estimates before the war put the number of terrorist fighters in Gaza at some 30,000.
IDF troops in Khan Yunis, January 18, 2024
According to the U.S. estimates, Hamas “still has enough munitions to
continue striking Israel and Israeli forces in Gaza for months.”
Additionally, U.S. officials said that Hamas is attempting to reconstitute its police force in parts of Gaza City.
Current and former Israeli military officials told the Journal that the aim of Hamas was simply to survive the war.
“You don’t have to win, you just have to not lose,” a senior military official said.
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