Israeli Prime Minister admits failure in minimizing civilian casualties during conflict

Israeli soldiers have reportedly discovered a tunnel shaft used by Hamas militants at Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, according to the Israeli army. The army released a video showing a deep hole in the ground, surrounded by rubble and sand. The video also showed a vehicle at the hospital containing a large number of weapons. Hamas has denied these claims, calling them a “blatantly false narrative.” Meanwhile, the United Nations expressed concern that no aid would be delivered to Palestinians on Friday via the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The two telecoms companies in Gaza reported that all services in the territory were down due to a lack of energy supplies. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees stated that without fuel, it would be impossible to coordinate humanitarian aid truck convoys. “If the fuel does not come in, people will start to die because of the lack of fuel. Exactly as from when, I don’t know. But it will be sooner rather than later,” warned UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s actions, stating that Hamas was preventing civilians from moving to safer locations. He claimed that Israel had made efforts to minimize civilian casualties, but acknowledged that they had not been successful. The Israeli military’s chief of staff said that Israel was close to destroying Hamas’ military system in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of holding hostages in the hospital complex. The body of a woman hostage was reportedly recovered by troops in a building near Al Shifa. Human Rights Watch emphasized that hospitals have special protections under international humanitarian law. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza during his visit to the country. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen blamed Hamas for the current plight of Palestinians in Gaza.