1) The Israeli military on Wednesday unveiled what it claimed was a Hamas military facility under Gaza’s largest hospital, showing what appeared to be an underground dormitory to a group of foreign journalists who were given a rare glimpse inside the besieged enclave.

2) Dozens of soldiers escorted journalists through a narrow stone tunnel — which the military said stretched 150 meters (164 yards) — to a series of underground bunkers beneath Shifa Hospital in a shattered Gaza City, AP reported. 

3) Since Israel declared war against Hamas on October 7, it has repeatedly accused the Islamic militant group of using Gaza’s hospitals as cover for military use. It has paid special attention to Shifa, saying Hamas has hidden command centers and bunkers underneath the hospital’s sprawling grounds.

4) The war was triggered by Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack that killed at least 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage. Israel’s intense aerial campaign and devastating ground invasion have leveled entire neighborhoods, and well over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, health officials said. 

5) The Israeli military has plowed through northern Gaza over the past month, leaving a trail of destruction in its effort to bomb Hamas’ tunnel network and other targets.

6) Hundreds of patients and doctors remain stranded at the besieged hospital. Thousands more who had been sheltering in its courtyard fled south last week as Israeli tanks drew close and fighting raged, as per AP reports. 

7) Israel and Hamas agreed to a short ceasefire this week after 47 days of fighting. The tentative truce brokered with help from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States will see both sides release prisoners and allow aid entry. Officials indicate that the process could begin on Thursday at 10:00 am (1:30 pm IST).

8) The truce may be extended beyond the initial four-day period if more hostages were freed. A second phase could see 150 more Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for another 50 hostages during an extended truce.

9) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that at least 10 women and children would be released per day to a total of 50 people over the next four days. The truce could be extended as long as an additional ten hostages were freed per day.

10) Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that Israeli reconnaissance of Gaza would be put on a temporary hold while hostages were moved.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Updated: 23 Nov 2023, 06:30 AM IST