Dramatic bodycam footage shows the moment an Israeli soldier throws a hand grenade down a tunnel shaft as he comes face to face with Hamas fighters in the northern Gaza Strip.
Bitter fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas continues despite growing international and domestic pressure to scale back the offensive in the besieged enclave.
Israel's air and ground assault hit some 200 targets over the past day, including several apartments used by Hamas in the Gaza City suburb of Shejaiya, where paratroopers reportedly found caches of weapons.
During operations in the area, a soldier from the 188th IDF Brigade filmed himself cautiously approaching a tunnel shaft before a terrorist broke cover to fire on him and his comrades from inside.
They start shooting back before the soldier tells the others to wait while he pulls the pin of a grenade and throws it into the tunnel. The IDF said the close-quarters fighting was successful and its forces “neutralized the terrorist and destroyed the tunnel shaft.”
The soldier recording the bodycam footage tells the others to hold fire as he pulls the pin of a grenade
Israeli soldiers walk around what the army believes is the entrance to a tunnel shaft where a Hamas fighter is hiding and shooting from
Smoke pours from the shaft as the two sides exchange fire before an Israeli soldier throws a grenade into the tunnel
Israel continues its offensive today after it emerged yesterday that three hostages were killed by IDF forces. The men, all in their 20s, were shirtless and waved a white flag.
The incident has raised questions about its conduct in a 10-week war that has brought unprecedented death and destruction to the coastal enclave.
Naama Weinberg, whose cousin Itai remains in captivity, shared her concerns about the safety of the remaining hostages.
'We don't need dead bodies. We need people alive,” she told the newspaper BBC.
Protests in Israel continue as loved ones of those still held captive say the only way to bring them home is a deal with Hamas.
Israel is believed to be in negotiations to get the hostages back, with talks reportedly brokered by Qatar and Egypt following a temporary ceasefire last month that saw dozens freed.
But Benjamin Netanyahu firmly believes that Israel must continue to exert military pressure on Hamas, and has vowed that his country will continue the war “until absolute victory.”
At a press conference last night, he spoke of Israel remaining “relentless” in its military and diplomatic efforts “to return all hostages safely.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting on December 17 in Kirya, where the Israeli Ministry of Defense is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Smoke rises after an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Saturday, December 16
Israeli soldiers stand on top of a pile of rubble as they operate in the Gaza Strip during a major ground offensive
An Israeli soldier watches from the Merkava tank during operations in the Gaza Strip
Civil defense teams conduct search and rescue operations among the rubble of destroyed buildings after the Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza on December 17
Gaza remained under a communications blackout for a fourth straight day – the longest of several outages over the course of the war, which aid groups say is complicating rescue efforts after bombings and making it even harder to monitor the war's toll among civilians.
Israel is under significant pressure to scale back major combat operations, with France today calling for an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire.
And in alland highlight the change in the British government's position on the conflict In Gaza, Foreign Secretary David Cameron has called for a 'lasting ceasefire' between Israel and Hamas.
Lord Cameron published a piece in The Sunday times today together with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock they share the view that this conflict cannot continue'.
A Palestinian child looks on at the scene of an Israeli attack on a house in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip
The pair called for an “end to the endless cycle of violence” but stated they were not calling for an “immediate” ceasefire.
The pressure could increase further when US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits this week.
Washington has expressed growing unease over civilian casualties and the mass displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians – nearly 85 percent of Gaza's population – while providing crucial military and diplomatic support to its closest ally.
The air and ground war has paralyzed large parts of northern Gaza and driven most of the population to the southern part of the besieged area, where many are packed into crowded shelters and tent camps.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron has called for a 'lasting ceasefire' between Israel and Hamas
An Israeli military vehicle drives along a road as it retreats after a raid on the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees near the northern town of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank on December 17, 2023
Israel has continued to attack so-called militant targets in all parts of Gaza.
The Hamas government in the area said the attack killed at least 18,800 people, mostly women and children.
Despite growing international pressure, Israel has pledged to continue operations until it dismantles Hamas, which sparked the war with the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Hamas released more than 100 of the more than 240 hostages captured on October 7 in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners during a brief ceasefire in November. Nearly all the freedmen on both sides were women and minors. Israel successfully rescued one hostage.
There is increasing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to reach a new deal with Hamas over the release of at least some hostages. More than 120 people are still in captivity.