February 8, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.

The Ireland team and Israel team before the FIBA Women's EuroBasket Championship Qualifier match at the Rimi Olympic Centre in Riga, Latvia on February 8.

The Irish women’s national basketball team refused to shake hands with their Israeli opponents ahead of a 2025 EuroBasket qualifier in Latvia on Thursday after an Israeli player accused the Irish team of antisemitism.

Basketball Ireland said in a statement it had told governing body FIBA Europe on Wednesday the team would not take part in pre-match formalities including shaking hands with Israel as a “direct result of recent comments made by Israeli players and coaching staff — including inflammatory and wholly inaccurate accusations of antisemitism, published on official Israeli federation channels.”

On Wednesday, Israeli player Dor Sa’ar called the Irish team “quite antisemitic,” in an interview posted on the Israeli Basketball Association’s website.

Prior to tipoff, Ireland stood for the national anthem by the team bench while Israel stood near center court. Players did not shake hands. Israel went on to defeat Ireland 87-57. 

President Joe Biden speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington DC on February 8, 2024.

US President Joe Biden late Thursday offered one of his sharpest rebukes to date of Israel’s military conduct in Gaza, saying the operation to go after Hamas had been “over the top.”

He also voiced optimism that a deal currently being brokered pairing the release of hostages with a prolonged pause in the fighting could eventually lead to a more sustained change in the war.

And he painted a stark portrait of the suffering in Gaza, insisting more must be done to stem the humanitarian crisis there.

Delivered at the very end of a fiery evening news conference, Biden’s remarks offered a new window into his view of the four-month conflict, which has tested American diplomacy and exposed divisions within his Democratic coalition.

“I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza – in the Gaza Strip – has been over the top,” Biden told reporters at the White House, describing his own efforts to open up Gaza so more humanitarian aid could flow in.

His assessment of the Israeli military campaign as excessive marked a new stage in Biden’s public posturing on the war. For much of the months since October 7, Biden has embraced Israel and staunchly defended its right to go after Hamas.

This post has been updated.

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The US military carried out further strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday, US Central Command said in a statement.

The strikes hit four unmanned surface vessels and seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that “presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM said on social media platform X. 

Coalition strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis have destroyed or degraded more than 100 missiles and launchers since January 11, a Pentagon spokesperson said at a briefing earlier Thursday.

The Houthis have said they will not stop their attacks on Red Sea shipping until Israel ends its war in Gaza.

The United States would not support an Israeli military operation in Rafah, the Gaza Strip’s most southerly city where more than a million displaced civilians are living, “without serious planning,” the US State Department said Thursday.

“To conduct such an operation right now with no planning and little thought in an area where there is sheltering of a million people would be a disaster,” US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a news briefing.  

Patel added that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made this clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in meetings in Israel on Wednesday.

Netanyahu said the same day that the Israel Defense Forces “is preparing to fight in Rafah.”

Here are the latest developments in the region:

Penny Wong at the World Holocaust Remembrance Center on January 17, 2024.

Australia does not have all the evidence from Israel following its accusations that United Nations staff in Gaza were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday.

Wong told public broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that she was still asking to be shown all the evidence that Israel had. 

Australia joined nations including France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany in pausing financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following Israeli allegations that 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff members in Gaza were involved in the Hamas attack. The UN’s oversight body is conducting an investigation into the matter. 

Wong said she spoke to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini on Thursday but did not ask him for the evidence on the Israeli allegations, and instead spoke about how to restore confidence and work through the issues.

“But what I would say is the primary concern is making sure that other donors, particularly those who have not provided their next round of operational funding, core funding, that that confidence can be attained before the end of the month,” Wong told the ABC, referring to UNRWA stating it only has enough funding until the end of February.

UNRWA provides lifesaving services to Palestinians, especially to civilians in Gaza impacted by Israeli bombardment.

The Israeli Air Force said Thursday that dozens of its aircraft deployed over Lebanon could “turn into hundreds” ready to operate within minutes from launch.

“The dozens of aircraft currently operating in the skies of Lebanon are only part of our capabilities. Once the order is given, my intention is for these dozens to become hundreds of aircraft capable of executing all missions within minutes, from launching operations over the skies of Lebanon,” Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said in front of military personnel.

Bar said that in case of a war in Lebanon, “the term ‘attack’ does not fully capture what will occur.”

Bar said that massive strikes would target ” hundreds of locations simultaneously, including deep within the country.”

In an earlier statement, the Israel Defense Forces said soldiers who fought in Gaza were now training for combat on the northern front. 

“The 36th Division, the Northern Command’s offensive division, has completed an intense combat operation in the Gaza Strip, during which the division’s soldiers significantly damaged the capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization,” the IDF said. “Now, the division is increasing its readiness for operational plans against the northern enemy – in defense and offense,” it added.

An Israeli drone strike on a car in the center of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Thursday killed at least three people, Lebanese state media NNA reported.

NNA did not give the names of those killed in the strike, but the Israel Defense Forces told CNN it had carried out a strike on a “Hezbollah commander who was involved in a number of (rocket) launches towards the areas of Kiryat Shmona and Metula in northern Israel.”

The IDF said that the strike was “in response to the launch toward Kiryat Shmona this morning.”

Hezbollah confirmed that it had fired rockets into several locations in northern Israel on Thursday morning. There were no immediate reports of Israeli casualties following the Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Hezbollah has not yet commented on reports that one of its commanders was killed in the Israeli strike, but late Thursday, the militant group announced that it had conducted further rocket launches targeting the Israeli military in Meron airbase in Israel.

US-led coalition conducts airstrikes in Yemen in response to the Houthi aggression at the Red Sea on February 3, 2024.

The US killed or wounded more than 40 militants in its strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on February 2, according to the Defense Department.

US Central Command is still assessing the results of the strikes, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at a briefing Thursday. The strikes included more than 85 targets the militant groups have used to attack US forces, he said.

Strikes on Houthi targets: Ryder also provided an update on February 3 strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying those attacks destroyed or damaged 35 Houthi targets at 13 locations.

“More broadly, since the first coalition strikes on January 11, we assessed that we’ve destroyed or degraded more than 100 missiles and launchers, including anti-ship, land attack and surface to air missiles, plus numerous communication capabilities, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, coastal radars, air surveillance capabilities and weapons storage areas,” Ryder said of the US and UK attacks on Houthi targets over the past several weeks.

Remember: The US has described recent attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria and attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes by the Houthis, who are also affiliated with Tehran, as “distinct but related challenges.”

In both cases, Washington is seeking to deter further attacks while avoiding wider conflict in a region already roiled by the Israel-Hamas war.

Two American citizens were detained by the Israel Defense Forces during a raid of a home in Gaza early Thursday morning local time, according to a family member in the United States.

Hashem Alagha, 20, and Borak Alagha, 18, were among a group of roughly 20 men detained by IDF soldiers during the raid, according to Yasmeen Elagha, who identified herself as their cousin.

She said both men are American citizens, born in the suburbs of Chicago.

Elagha told CNN that she spoke over the phone with Hashem’s mother — her aunt — who was present during the raid and claims IDF broke through the door while the group was sleeping, tied up the women and children inside the home, and took the men into custody.  

They do not know where the men have been taken at this point.

Elagha says the home belongs to her uncle and her family has no ties to Hamas.

CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment. 

The US is aware of reports that the Israeli military has detained two American citizens in Gaza and is “seeking additional information,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a news briefing. Patel did not share further details.

US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel speaks during a press briefing in Washington, DC in 2023.

The United States would not support an Israeli military operation in Rafah “without serious planning” around the more than million displaced civilians, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said.

“To conduct such an operation right now with no planning and little thought in an area where there is sheltering of a million people would be a disaster,” Patel said at a news briefing Thursday.  

Patel said the US would not support such a military operation without planning “as it relates to the more than a million people who are sheltering there as well as without considering the impacts on humanitarian assistance and the safe departure of foreign nationals.”

Patel added that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made this clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in meetings in Israel Wednesday.

Asked where the more than a million people in Rafah would be able to go, given they cannot return to northern Gaza and the ongoing military action in the South, Patel said, “These are legitimate questions that we believe that the Israelis should answer.”

Patel claimed “we have yet to see any evidence of serious planning for such an operation” in Rafah.

Despite repeated follow-ups, he would not give details about this “evidence” or whether it came from Blinken’s briefing with Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi and other top officials Wednesday.

Netanyahu said publicly on Wednesday that the “IDF is preparing to fight in Rafah.”

An Israeli airstrike targeting a room in the Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City killed five people on Thursday, journalist Khader Zaanoun told CNN, who received his information from health officials in the city.

In Khan Younis, a doctor inside the Nasser Medical Complex, Ahmad Al Moghrabi, posted a video on Instagram showing a bleeding colleague who he said had been shot by a sniper while inside the medical facility.

“The sniper shot my nurse friend beside me on his chest at the operative theatre. He is seriously injured,” Moghrabi wrote in the caption.

Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesperson of the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, said that there are 300 medical staff, 450 injured people and 10,000 displaced people in the Nasser hospital complex.

They are exposed to disease and hunger, as well as health hazards due to the accumulation of medical and non-medical waste as Israeli forces are preventing its removal, he added.

At the nearby Al-Amal hospital, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said there was “intense and continuous gunfire” in the vicinity of the facility Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday it was intensifying fighting in western Khan Younis.

CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment on the attacks on the medical facilities.

The Israeli military consistently says it does not target medical facilities as such but that it will attack Hamas fighters wherever they are.

The death toll in Gaza is approaching 28,000, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports, as fears grow over Israel’s plans to embark on a ground assault in Rafah. The southern city is currently home to many people already displaced from other parts of the enclave by Israel’s offensive.

Here are the latest developments:

A car burns, following what the U.S. military says was a deadly U.S. drone strike on a Kataib Hezbollah commander, in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 7, in this screengrab from social media video.

The Iraqi Armed Forces said Thursday they are compelled “more than ever” to terminate the United States’ mission in Iraq, citing the overnight drone attack on a vehicle in the capital Baghdad, that killed a senior commander with the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah militia.

“This trajectory compels the Iraqi government more than ever to terminate the mission of this coalition, which has become a factor for instability and threatens to entangle Iraq in the cycle of conflict, and our armed forces cannot neglect their constitutional duties and responsibilities,” the statement said.

American forces “conducted a blatant assassination through an airstrike in the heart of a residential neighborhood in the capital, Baghdad, showing no regard for civilian lives or international laws,” the statement added. 

“By this act, the American forces jeopardize civil peace, violate Iraqi sovereignty, and disregard the safety and lives of our citizens. Even more concerning is that the coalition consistently deviates from the reasons and objectives for its presence on our territory,” the statement said.

The US military strike on Wednesday in Baghdad killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander who was responsible for attacks on American forces in the region, according to US Central Command.

The strike came as the US has been planning retaliatory attacks against Iran-backed militants who launched a drone attack at a US outpost in Jordan last month that killed three American soldiers.

The US has blamed that attack on an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

At least 14 people were killed, including 5 children, after Israeli airstrikes targeted several residential buildings in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, an eyewitness and local journalist Tareq Al Hilou told CNN.

Airstrikes hit the Tal Al-Sultan and Saudi neighborhoods in the western part of Rafah, Al Hilou said, adding that there was heavy bombardment south of city near the border with Egypt. 

In Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, dozens of rockets were launched over residential neighborhoods in the early hours of Thursday, particularly in the eastern part of the city, Al Hilou said. 

In central Gaza, in Deir El-Balah, a journalist working for Palestine TV, Nafez Abdul Jawad, was killed after an Israeli missile struck the house he was staying in, eyewitness and journalist Mohammad Al-Sawalhi, who is in central Gaza, told CNN Thursday.

In Gaza City, north of the strip, eyewitness, and journalist Khader Al Zaanoun told CNN that there were several deaths and injuries after Israeli forces “opened fire on civilians in alleys and streets” in the western part of the city, particularly in in University Square, Al Sina’a , Al Matar Intersection, and Al-Saraya. 

“Victims are still awaiting medical treatment as ambulances are being prevented from reaching them,” Zaanoun said.

CNN reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on claims Israeli forces opened fire on civilians in Gaza City, and that residential buildings were targeted across the strip.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gets out of the car as he arrives to board his plane at an airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 8.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed the Middle East Thursday after voicing optimism that there is still room to reach a deal to free the hostages and pause the fighting in Gaza. 

Following an intensive day of meetings in Israel Wednesday, Blinken said the Hamas response “creates space for agreement to be reached,” despite containing what he called “some clear nonstarters.”
“We will work at that relentlessly until we get there,” Blinken said.

The top US diplomat’s comments come despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just hours earlier dismissing the response as “delusional” and vowing to continue the offensive until “complete victory.” 

On Wednesday, Blinken also traveled to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, whom he pressed on the need to take steps to “reform and revitalize” the PA.

Prior to Israel, the top US diplomat traveled to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, where the meetings “focused on ensuring … that we can use any pause to continue to build out plans for the day after in Gaza – the security, humanitarian, reconstruction, governance.”

Blinken has consistently outlined a series of principles for Gaza after the conflict ends – no reoccupation by Israeli forces and no reduction in territory among them.

However, Netanyahu has publicly dismissed many of these key tenets, as recently as Wednesday after meeting with Blinken.

Blinken met with additional Israeli officials on Thursday, as well as with the families of the hostages.

International alarm is mounting ahead of an anticipated Israeli ground assault in Rafah, a southern Gaza city close to the border with Egypt where many displaced people living in the enclave have sought refuge.

One million people are estimated to be crammed into a tent city, with satellite images showing that the makeshift shelter is rapidly expanding.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned Israel against expanding its operations into Rafah, saying it would be “fatal for displaced civilians and humanitarian aid.”

“An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to,” the NRC’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Angelita Caredda said in a statement Thursday.

16-year-old Palestinian Nida Abid, center, who was born with a walking disability, is seen with a wheelchair amid the makeshift tents in Rafah, Gaza on February 5. Abid and her family left their homes and took refuge in Rafah.

Egypt has also warned of the dangers of an operation in Rafah, with the country in particular concerned that large numbers of people living in Gaza could be displaced into Egypt.

“No doubt, targeting this area of the Strip, which is filled with so many civilians, poses a danger,” a foreign ministry spokesperson, Ahmed Abu Zeid, said in an interview with Al-Ghad TV.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli soldiers will soon shift the focus of their ground offensive to Rafah.

“Our soldiers are now in Khan Yunis, Hamas’s main stronghold. They’ll soon go into Rafah, Hamas’s last bastion,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

The US conducted self-defense strikes on Wednesday against two Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea, according to a statement from US Central Command. Later that day, CENTCOM forces conducted a second strike against a Houthi mobile land attack cruise missile that was prepared to launch, the statement added. 

“CENTCOM identified these missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM said.

“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”

The US has regularly been conducting dynamic self-defense strikes against Houthi weaponry and equipment inside Yemen, and has also conducted larger-scale strikes against the Houthis alongside the UK.

The Houthis have said they will not stop their attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza.

King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan attends the opening ceremony of the World Climate Action Summit during COP28 on December 1, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Jordanian King, Abdullah II, has departed on a tour through several Western capitals, including a stop in Washington to meet US President Joe Biden and press for a ceasefire in Gaza.

 “The royal tour aims to mobilize international support for a ceasefire in Gaza, protect civilians, provide humanitarian aid to the Strip on a permanent and sufficient basis, and emphasize the importance of finding a political horizon that leads to a comprehensive settlement that ends the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” a statement from Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court said Thursday.  

King Abdullah II will also meet Canadian Prime Minister in Ottawa, French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and then a number of senior Western and European officials at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

King Abdullah has joined other Middle Eastern countries in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian aid to reach people in the enclave. Last month, he said Israel had created “an entire generation” of orphans.

A Hamas delegation led by deputy leader Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday for talks on Gaza, the militant group said in a statement.

 “A delegation from the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas arrived Thursday morning, headed by Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy head of the movement in Gaza, traveled to Cairo to complete talks related to the ceasefire,” the group said.

CNN reported on Wednesday that Hamas had presented its response, proposing a three-phase deal — with each lasting 45 days — that would see the gradual release of hostages held in the enclave in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as the start of a massive humanitarian and rebuilding effort. 

Contrary to earlier demands, Hamas did not call for an immediate end to the war.

Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the truce, and the remaining hostages would only be released once a final deal to end the war was agreed, the document said.

Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for saying Wednesday that he had not committed to the “delusional” demands of Hamas and that Israel’s aim is “complete victory.” He also called on the US to stop supporting Israel.

Smoke rises over the city as Israeli attacks continue in Rafah, Gaza, on February 7.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Hamas counterproposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal leaves room for a potential agreement.

“While there are some clear nonstarters in Hamas’ response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached, and we will work at that relentlessly until we get there,” he said at a news conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Blinken said he discussed the proposal with Israeli government officials.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier dismissed Hamas’ proposals, calling them “delusional.” But the Israeli leader did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.

Blinken also discussed the latest developments in Gaza with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Here are the latest developments:

Civil defense members gather at the site of a burned vehicle targeted by a U.S. drone strike in east Baghdad, Iraq, on February 7.

Iraq has issued a warning to the United States in response to an airstrike late Wednesday in Baghdad that killed a senior commander with the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah militia.

Iraq’s Joint Operation Command called the strike a “new aggression by the United States, adding that the move acted to “undermine all understandings” between Iraq and the US, in a statement posted by spokesperson Tahseen Al Khafaji on X.

The spokesperson also reiterated what the country said after the first series of US strikes in Iraq last Friday in retaliation for the killing of three US soldiers in Jordan, which was to call the strikes a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.” 

Kataib Hezbollah is considered the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq and part of a state-sponsored consortium of militias in the country known as the PMU (Popular Mobilization Forces), many of them Shia militias, that help maintain security there.  

But just days after the killing of the three US soldiers in Jordan on January 28, Kataib Hezbollah announced it was suspending its military operations against US forces, which was seen as signs the group feared blowback by the US on itself, as well as other pro-Iran militias or even Iran proper in response to the US solider deaths. 

People gather as a destroyed vehicle is loaded onto a truck, after what security sources said was a deadly drone strike, in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 7.

Iraq was not notified of the US military’s strike on a Kataib Hezbollah commander in Baghdad until shortly after it occurred, a US official said Wednesday. 

“We were clear in public statements and in private conversations with the Iraqis that the United States would respond to the attack a time and place of its choosing,” the official said, referencing the deadly drone attack in Jordan that killed three US soldiers.

The official said a notification of the strike prior would not have been provided out of operational security concerns. 

The official added the strike was in planning “from the moment the president directed the military to review options” following the Jordan attack. 

People inspect a vehicle after what security sources said was a deadly drone strike, in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 7.

A US military strike killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander in Iraq on Wednesday evening who was responsible for attacks on US forces in the region, according to US Central Command.  

The attack was carried out by a drone that hit a SUV in the Al-Mashtal, a predominantly Shia neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. The two people who were inside the vehicle have not been identified because the bodies were completely charred from a fire that erupted from the strike, local police officials said.

The identity of the commander has not yet been released, but three US officials told CNN that the US targeted Wisam Mohammed Saber al-Saedi. Additionally, A senior local security source and a senior source with the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) told CNN that a senior leader with the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia was killed in the attack.

Kataib Hezbollah is considered the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq and part of a state-sponsored consortium of militias in the country known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) — many of them Shia militias — that help maintain security there.  fsenior leader with the Iran-backilled in the strike ked Kataib Hezbollah militia was killed in the attack.

Kataib Hezbollah released a statement mourning al-Saedi early Thursday morning (Baghdad time.) The militant group said al-Saedi’s death “calls us to remain steadfast in the jihadist approach.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a media conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 12.

Former Israeli hostage Adina Moshe on Wednesday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that “there won’t be any hostages to release” if his government continues its plan to eliminate Hamas.

Moshe, 72, who was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held hostage in Gaza for seven weeks, spoke at a news conference for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum — directing her comments specifically to Netanyahu. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters also delivered a message to Netanyahu and the Israeli War Cabinet in a release on Wednesday.

“If the hostages are not returned home: the citizens of Israel should know they live in a state that is not committed to their security, that the mutual responsibility in it has died,” the families forum said in the release.
“They who do not protect their citizens will find that their citizens lose faith in them and their leadership.” 

Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu reiterated that Hamas must be destroyed for Israel to be safe. He dismissed Hamas’ proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal, calling them “delusional.”

But the Israeli leader did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.

CNN was among a small group of reporters granted a military escort by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to see two interconnected tunnel compounds in Khan Younis, including a musty chamber — which looks like a makeshift cell — where the Israeli military says Hamas held at least 12 hostages.

CNN could not independently confirm Israel’s account, but details of it tally with descriptions in Israeli media from hostages who say they were held there. The IDF has shown similar complexes to other media in eastern Khan Younis.

Entering the tunnel: A CNN journalist entered the tunnel network through the wall of a basement now entirely exposed by a giant crater, the area surrounded by blown-out, multi-story residential buildings.

An Israeli soldier guards an entrance into a tunnel network discovered by Israel Defence Forces underneath a residential neighborhood in Khan Younis on Sunday, February 4.

What’s it like in the tunnel: The stale, damp air inside the tunnel smells of sewage. The walls are slimy, and they feel like they are closing in. When the light goes off, everything is plunged into complete darkness.

In the darkness underground, minutes feel like hours, and after a few turns down different shafts, it’s impossible not to feel disoriented. The compound is hot and very humid. Its tiled walls and floors are wet with condensation. The air feels heavy, as if oxygen is running out.

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As a condition to enter Gaza under IDF escort, news outlets must submit photos and raw video footage to the Israeli military for review prior to publication. The IDF did not review this written report.

International media have been blocked access to the strip since the war began. CNN agreed to the terms to provide a rare glimpse into wartime Gaza, as Israel tries to find the remaining hostages and pushes further south into areas where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled.

Israel says that Hamas built a vast network of compounds like this one, connected by tunnels and shafts deep underground. The southern city of Khan Younis, which Israel considers one of the “main strongholds” of the group, is the current epicenter of fighting.

Inside the subterranean complex, the shafts are cramped.

Some of the tunnels are flooded ankle-deep in mud.

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Signs of use for extended periods: What was clear from CNN’s tour is that the compound was used for an extended period of time. Discarded trash, empty food and drink packaging, soiled blankets and random pieces of clothing lie scattered around. In a kitchen fitted with basic equipment, dirty dishes are discarded in a sink.

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A room inside the underground compound under a residential neighborhood in Khan Younis. The IDF said this room was likely used by guards.

Some thought seems to have been put into the interior design of the compound's facilities, including this kitchen wall. The IDF said that the way the compound was furnished was a sign that the compound was used by Hamas leaders.

Children carry belongings as Palestinians fleeing Khan Younis move towards Rafah, Gaza, on January 29.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres expressed deep concerns over the escalating humanitarian crisis in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Wednesday, saying an extension of Israeli operations there would have “disastrous” repercussions.

Rafah is “where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been squeezed in a desperate search for safety,” he said in an address to the UN General Assembly Wednesday.

Highlighting the dire situation as a “humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences,” he urgently called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages”.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also raised concerns about a potential expansion of Israeli military operations into Rafah during meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials, two Israeli officials told CNN. 

Rafah is where thousands of displaced civilians fled to as fighting intensified in northern Gaza and slowly made its way south.

Those trapped in the city have no remaining escape route. The city borders Egypt, and the crossing into that country has been closed for months.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, briefed Blinken on Wednesday on Rafah, one Israeli official said, including the complexity of maneuvering in an area with so many civilians and which is located right on the Egyptian border.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on February 7.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the latest developments in Gaza at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah on Wednesday.

Blinken and Abbas spoke about “developments in the ongoing efforts to stop the aggression against our people,” according to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA.

The president highlighted the importance of swiftly delivering relief, medical and food supplies, along with essential services like water, electricity and fuel, to facilitate hospital functionality and shelters across Gaza, WAFA reported.

Abbas also called for the US recognition of Palestinian statehood and a full United Nations membership, highlighting a two-state solution as essential for peace.

“His Excellency reiterated that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian state, and it is not possible to accept or deal with the plans of the occupation authorities to separate it, or to cut off any inch of its land, and it falls under the responsibility of the State of Palestine and under its administration,” WAFA said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a Palestinian state or a role for the Palestinian Authority in post-war governance. 

The full Hamas response to a proposal for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza proposes three phases, each lasting 45 days. 

CNN has obtained a copy of Hamas’ response, which senior Hamas official Muhammad Nazzal confirmed was genuine.

Here’s a breakdown of each phase:

Phase one would include the release of Israeli hostages, including women and children (under 19 years old) “who are not enlisted, as well as the elderly and the sick, in exchange for a specific number of Palestinian prisoners,” Hamas said.

It would also include “intensifying humanitarian aid, relocating forces outside populated areas, allowing the start of reconstruction works for hospitals, houses, and facilities in all areas of the Gaza Strip, and allowing the United Nations and its agencies to provide humanitarian services and establish housing camps for the population.”

The first phase would also include a “temporary cessation of military operations and aerial reconnaissance, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces away from populated areas in the Gaza Strip to be parallel to the separation line, in order to facilitate the exchange of detainees.”

Phase two would see the “completion of (indirect) talks on the requirements necessary for the continuation of the mutual cessation of military operations and the return to a state of complete calm.”

This phase would aim for the release of all male hostages held in Gaza (civilians and enlisted personnel) “in exchange for a specified number of Palestinian prisoners, continuing the humanitarian measures of the first phase, the withdrawal of Israeli forces outside the borders of all areas of the Gaza Strip, and the comprehensive reconstruction of houses, facilities, and infrastructure that were destroyed in all areas of the Gaza Strip.”

Remember: Israel has repeatedly said it will not withdraw troops from Gaza until a complete victory over Hamas and other militant groups in the territory.

Phase three would aim “to exchange bodies and remains of the deceased on both sides after their arrival and identification,” while humanitarian aid and reconstruction continue.

Finally, Hamas proposes that the guarantors of the agreement would be Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Russia and the United Nations. It does not include the US among the guarantors.