Israel-Hamas Conflict: Israel Recovers Body Of 19-Year-Old Soldier Who Died In Hamas Captivity
KEY POINTS
- The IDF said it uncovered a tunnel within the Al-Shifa Hospital complex
- Gaza is experiencing its fourth communications blackout since Oct. 7
- The body of Noa Marciano, 19, has been extracted by Israeli troops near the Al-Shifa Hospital: IDF
- Ahmed Bahar, a member of Hamas' political bureau, has reportedly died from his wounds after an IDF air strike
![Images of hostages being held by Palestinian militant group Hamas are shown in Germany](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/4498096/images-hostages-being-held-palestinian-militant-group-hamas-are-shown-germany.jpg?w=736&f=733e9451c0ab3a60587f2cbdf993b89a)
As the Israel-Hamas war entered its 42nd day, the Israeli army said it found a terrorist tunnel within the Al-Shifa Hospital complex. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has repeatedly said that Hamas built a headquarters beneath Gaza's largest medical complex.
Gaza is experiencing another communications blackout, the enclave's fourth since the war started, amid continued fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas terrorists.
The IDF's chief of the general staff said the Israeli army was "close to dismantling Hamas" after Israeli ground forces took over the Gaza harbor Thursday.
Fire exchanges continue at Israel's northern border with Lebanon Friday. Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah, previously called Hamas "heroic." There is increasing fear that Israel-Hamas tensions may spill over into the Middle East.
Ahmed Bahar, a member of Hamas' political bureau, has reportedly died from his wounds after an Israeli air strike earlier this week, according to local media and Palestinian reports. The terror group has yet to confirm the reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that a ceasefire will only take place if hostages being held by Hamas are freed. He did say that Israel was now "closer that we were before" ground operations started in terms of negotiations to secure a hostage deal.
Israeli ground forces recovered the body of a 19-year-old Israeli female soldier who died in Hamas captivity, the IDF said Friday. Her body was located near the Al-Shifa Hospital.
Hamas operatives launched a surprise attack in Israel on Oct. 7. They killed more than 1,400 people — mostly civilians — that day and over 200 people were abducted. More than a month into the conflict, the hostages are still being held by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza.
The live update has ended.
'March to Jerusalem' on 4th day as families plead for more action in hostages' release
Families and loved ones of more than 200 hostages being held in Gaza are on their fourth day of their "March to Jerusalem." The march started on Nov. 14 when the crowd started their five-day trek from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to call for more action from the government in efforts to get the hostages freed.
Steffen Seibert, Germany's ambassador to Israel, joined the march Friday, saying the European country works for their cause "on all political and diplomatic levels."
In Latrun this morning to meet the families, friends and supporters of the hostages on their March to Jerusalem. So much pain and so much love in the crowd. Germany stands with you and we work and pray for everyone‘s safe return. Video credit @bringhomenow pic.twitter.com/fGb1bV78m4
— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) November 17, 2023
Angry hostage families march to Jerusalem, daring government to look them in the eyes https://t.co/lM39HqfkCS . Click to read ⬇️
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) November 17, 2023
2 fuel trucks to be allowed entry into Gaza daily: report
Two trucks carrying fuel will be allowed entry into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing daily, Sky News Arabia wrote in a Google-translated post on X Friday, citing an Israeli security source.
Communication services in Gaza went out Thursday afternoon. Palestinian telecom companies said they have run out of reserve fuel for operations.
Rocket sirens sound in Israel's northern border
Rocket sirens are sounding in Israel's northern border, as per local media. Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli army posts near the Lebanon border, specifically in the vicinity of the Malkia and Menara communities, The Times of Israel reported. The IDF has returned fire, it added.
Fears are increasing about the possible regional spillover of Israel-Hamas tensions, even as Israel continues to fight on the southern front against Hamas.
🚨Rocket alert sirens sound in Israel’s northern border
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) November 17, 2023
Multiple weapons found in Gaza school: IDF
Israeli forces found "multiple weapons" at a school in Gaza that "Hamas terrorists were hiding" in, the IDF said Friday. The terrorists who used the school as a hiding place were eliminated the Israeli army added.
IDF operations in Gaza overnight:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
🔺Troops located a school in which Hamas terrorists were hiding and elimated them. They confiscated multiple weapons found at the school.
🔺In other operations, troops located technological equipment, ammunition and weapons, including… pic.twitter.com/7XCRCfkEY9
'Closer than we were before' in hostage deal talks: Netanyahu
"We're closer than we were before the ground action, because the ground action has put pressure on Hamas to achieve a ceasefire," Netanyahu told CBS News in response to "how close" Israel is to securing an agreement with Hamas regarding the release of hostages being held in Gaza.
צפו בראיון שלי לרשת החדשות האמריקנית CBS >> pic.twitter.com/nrXmmEy7l6
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 17, 2023
"We'll have a temporary ceasefire only if we get our hostages back," he reiterated, adding that the Israeli government was "doing every effort" in getting the hostages freed.
When pressed if Israel would agree to release some of the Palestinians detained in Israel in exchange of its hostages, Netanyahu said there were some things that the government needed to "keep confidential."
150 doctors from around the world arrive in Israel amid war
More than 150 doctors from different countries around the world have arrived in Israel to volunteer their services during the Israel-Hamas war, local media reported.
Around 12,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics have recently expressed their interest to volunteer to Israel's health ministry. Of the said number, around 7,000 are specialist doctors and half of them are from the United States, as per the report. Others are from Brazil, Canada, and other European countries.
![Israel is still coming to terms with the attack](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/4494123/israel-still-coming-terms-attack.jpg?w=736&f=59bbc79175e27f806c033e2e7beace0e)
Israeli troops neutralize 2 terrorists who opened fire near Hebron
Two terrorists who opened fire at Israeli forces at the Olive Junction, near Hebron in the West Bank, were shot and killed by reserve fighters with the IDF's 8106th Battalion, the Israeli army said Friday. They also confiscated a submachine gun from the terrorists.
שני מחבלים הגיעו ברכב לפני זמן קצר לצומת הזית, סמוך לחברון שבחטיבת יהודה וירו לעבר הכוחות שפעלו במקום.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 17, 2023
הלוחמים, מגדוד מילואים 8106 ירו וחיסלו את שני המחבלים. הכוחות גם החרימו את הנשק מסוג קרלו ממנו בוצע הירי. אין נפגעים לכוחותינו pic.twitter.com/RsMldXvxlV
IDF reopens evacuation passage
The Israeli army has reopened an evacuation corridor for northern Gaza residents at the Salah Al-Din Road, IDF spokesperson for Arab media Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee said.
#عاجل يا سكان غزة، وخاصة سكان شمال القطاع أودّ إخطاركم بالرسائل التالية:
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 17, 2023
🔴 الى سكان أحياء جباليا والدرج التفاح والشجاعية نحثكم على ضرورة اخلاء مناطق سكنكم بشكل فوري حفاظًا على سلامتكم وذلك عبر طريق صلاح الدين حتى الساعة الرابعة (16:00) مساء للوصول الى جنوب وادي غزة وللمنطقة… pic.twitter.com/STaPtAaXm4
Residents evacuating to the south will be allowed to pass through the corridor through 4 p.m. local time.
Israeli forces will implement a "temporary tactical suspensions of military activities" between 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. local time "for humanitarian purposes in the western Rafah area and in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood."
Israeli warplanes attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon Friday, the IDF said in a Google-translated post on X. A weapons warehouse and military facility were among the assets targeted in the air strikes. A terrorist cell located in the Arab al-Aramsha area, south of the Lebanese border, was also attacked.
Senior Hamas leader killed after Israeli air strike: reports
Ahmed Bahar, first deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and a senior Hamas leader, has died from his wounds following an Israeli air strike earlier this week, as per local media and reports from Gaza.
Bahar was reportedly a former deputy chairman of the Palestinian Parliament and a member of Hamas' political bureau according to local i24 News. Hamas not yet confirmed the reports.
Reports in Gaza that Israel eliminated Ahmed Bahar, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, in an IDF airstrike earlier this week.
— Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) November 17, 2023
Bahar was reportedly injured in the strike, and now died of his wounds. Hamas has not officially confirmed the reports.
Bahar served as the head of… pic.twitter.com/CsiEfpKgDf
🔴Report: Israel eliminated Ahmed Bahar, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, in an IDF airstrike earlier this week
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) November 17, 2023
Bahar served as the head of Hamas’ Shura Council and previously as the deputy chairman of the Palestinian Parliament
According to reports from Gaza, Senior Hamas leader and chairman of the Gaza Legislative Council, Ahmed Behar, died as a result of the airstrike on his home in Gaza earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/FDZ6D1ByIW
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 17, 2023
IDF 'close to dismantling' Hamas, says Israeli army chief
"We are close to dismantling the military system in the northern Gaza Strip," IDF chief of the general staff Herzi Halevi said, the Jerusalem Post reported Friday. There's still work to be done but the IDF was "approaching" its goal of eliminating the terror group's leaders, operatives and destroying their infrastructure, he added.
![Transition ceremony for the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in Jerusalem](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/4459325/transition-ceremony-israel-defense-forces-chief-staff-herzi-halevi-jerusalem.jpg?w=736&f=522b77503847e14c8158e319035b5747)
Halevi's comments came a day after the Israeli army announced that it successfully gained "operational control" of the Gaza harbor, which the IDF said had been used by Hamas as a training facility for its naval operations.
Heavy rockets, drones found during northern Gaza raid: IDF
Israeli troops found heavy rockets, drones and other warfare equipment during an overnight raid in northern Gaza, the IDF said Friday. Some weapons were found "on school grounds," the Israeli army said in a series of Google-translated posts on X.
במהלך פשיטה זו, איתרו הלוחמים רקטות עתירות משקל, כטב"מים ואמצעי לחימה נוספים.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 17, 2023
הכוחות השמידו את המוצב.
כוחות צוות קרב חטיבת גבעתי פעלו בשטח בית ספר בו הסתתרו פעילי חמאס. במהלך הפעילויות חיסלו הכוחות את הפעילים ואיתרו אמצעי לחימה בשטח בית הספר >> pic.twitter.com/S1udFyDfkg
צוותי הקרב של חטיבת הנח"ל, חטיבת הצנחנים וחטיבה 460 פשטו על מספר יעדים ואיתרו אמצעים טכנולוגיים ואמצעי לחימה. בין היתר אותרו נשקים מסוג קלצ'ניקוב, מטענים, מטולים, ווסטים, RPG, משגרי נ"ט ועוד pic.twitter.com/DeRUcDGu1G
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 17, 2023
Body of 19-year-old Israeli soldier who died in Hamas captivity found near Al-Shifa: IDF
The body of 19-year-old Noa Marciano, an Israeli soldier who died while being held by Hamas, was "found and extracted by IDF troops adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza," the IDF announced Friday.
Marciano was among more than 200 people abducted by Hamas operatives on Oct. 7. The IDF said her remains have been brought back to Israel.
19 year old CPL Noa Marciano was abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
Her body was found and extracted by IDF troops adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and will continue to support them. pic.twitter.com/f7eWBUrzVq
Syrian army says it shot down Israeli missiles
Syria shot down Israeli missiles that were fired from the Golan Heights area toward the vicinity of Damascus early Friday, Reuters reported, citing the Syrian army. The IDF reportedly declined to comment on the matter.
The report came about a week after the IDF said a drone strike from Syria hit a school in the southern city of Eilat. Also last week, the U.S. said American warplanes struck a "safe house" in eastern Syria near the border with Iraq following "continued attacks against U.S. personnel" in the area.
![An Israeli artillery crew prepares shells at a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/4497648/israeli-artillery-crew-prepares-shells-position-near-border-gaza-strip-southern-israel.jpg?w=736&f=f7ac23acabb44bb51a119d6f4775dcc4)
White House confident of its intelligence regarding Hamas' use of Al-Shifa as command node
National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson John Kirby reiterated that the Biden administration was confident of its own intelligence regarding Hamas' use of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as a command center.
"We have our own intelligence that convinces us that Hamas is using Al-Shifa as a command-and-control node – and most likely as well as a storage facility – and that they were sheltering themselves in a hospital, using the hospital as a shield against military action," Kirby said in a statement Thursday.
He said the IDF will speak about progress in their military operations, but "we're confident in our own intelligence assessment about how Hamas is using that hospital."
![An aerial view shows the compound of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 7, 2023](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/4499187/aerial-view-shows-compound-al-shifa-hospital-gaza-city-november-7-2023.jpg?w=736&f=5234aae614d8af0e25a820dd91b26d3d)
Israeli army delivers water, meals to Al-Shifa: IDF
The IDF said Friday that it delivered 4,000 liters of water and 1,500 ready-made meals to the Al-Shifa Hospital, which Israeli soldiers entered Wednesday. Patient and staff safety "remains a priority," the IDF said.
Over 4,000 liters of water and 1,500 ready-made meals have been provided to Shifa Hospital by the IDF.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
The well-being of civilians, including patients and staff, remains a priority. pic.twitter.com/DrDfvsyQdI
Gaza communications out again
Gaza was once again plunged into a communications blackout Thursday, marking at least the fourth outage that the territory experienced since the war started. Communications are still out as of Friday morning local time.
⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show that the #Gaza Strip is now in the midst of a major internet outage as generator fuel supplies and backups finally run out; telecom services including landline, cellular and wifi are likely to be unavailable to most residents at the present time 📉 pic.twitter.com/Ur30UFj9KZ
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) November 16, 2023
"Live metrics show that the Gaza Strip is now in the midst of a major internet outage as generator fuel supplies and backups finally run out," internet outage tracker NetBlocks reported Thursday.
Major Palestinian mobile networks Paltel and Jawwal said "all telecom services" were out of service Thursday. Both networks previously warned that a severe fuel shortage may halt their services.
Communications traffic dropped at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday local time, as per Cloudflare data.
According to @Paltelco, reserve energy sources have been depleted and all telecom services in Gaza Strip have become unavailable.@Cloudflare data shows traffic dropping in the four governorates starting around 13:40 UTC (15:40 local time).https://t.co/2qFMPg8nGe pic.twitter.com/2akstIsHnZ
— Cloudflare Radar (@CloudflareRadar) November 16, 2023
Terrorist tunnel found at Al-Shifa Hospital complex: IDF
A terrorist tunnel was found by Israeli forces "inside the Shifa Hospital complex," the IDF said early Friday. It published a video and images of the alleged tunnel Israeli soldiers discovered around the area.
Exposing another layer of Hamas’ exploitation of three of the largest hospitals in Gaza:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
🔻Inside the Shifa Hospital complex, a Hamas terrorist tunnel was uncovered.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/uGo4uBdTly
🔻Inside the Rantisi Hospital, yet another terrorist tunnel was unearthed by IDF troops.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
2/3 pic.twitter.com/jUKVFNgeBb
The IDF has repeatedly said that Hamas terrorists used a tunnel beneath the Al-Shifa Hospital as its command center. Al-Shifa is Gaza's largest medical compound and many Palestinians have sought shelter at the facility since the war started.
On Thursday, the IDF said Israeli soldiers found weapons, explosives and ammunition at the MRI center of the Al-Shifa Hospital.
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