Israel at war: What happened on days 56-57?

The IDF 551st Brigade combat team completed a mission in Jabalya, in the Gaza Strip, on Saturday, having killed Hamas terrorists and destroyed terror infrastructure, the IDF said.

The neutralized infrastructure included tunnels and subterranean structures.

During the operation, which had began before the initiation of the now-ended cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, IDF troops identified and destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel which extended tens of meters below the surface of the earth.

A Hamas tunnel in a school

The tunnel had been located in the courtyard of a school compound.

Another tunnel was located and destroyed in the home of a Hamas naval force activist, the IDF stated.

Soldiers of the 551st Brigade, along with Israeli special forces, also worked to eliminate subterranean infrastructure north of Jabalya, where Israeli troops subsequently Isolated and secured a an area to facilitate further IDF activity.

Also, along with the air force and artillery units, IDF troops destroyed numerous pieces of Hamas combat equipment, including weapons, explosives, launchers, and ammunition.

The IDF said it was looking into reports that an Iron Dome interceptor had misfired and landed after rockets were fired toward central Israel on Saturday night, according to Israeli media.

Earlier in the evening, footage on Israeli television showed what appeared to be an Iron Dome interceptor spinning out of control and then crashing. No damage or injuries were reported in the incident.

Police arrested an Imam overnight on Friday on suspicion of supporting Hamas, the police spokesperson said on Saturday evening.

The imam was arrested after delivering a sermon during which he allegedly made statements in support of Hamas, alongside “threatening” remarks.

The religious leader’s detention was subsequently extended to Sunday.

A ground campaign is the only way to win the Gaza War, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he pledged destroy Hamas just after Qatari mediated talks for an additional truce and further hostage releases collapsed in Doha late Saturday afternoon.

“There is no other way to achieve our objectives but through victory and there is no way to be victorious expect with a ground campaign,” he said.

Israel, he said, was committed to eliminating Hamas and freeing all the hostages. The IDF, he said, was working both on the northern and southern fronts, with an aim to deter Hezbollah from attacking from Lebanon and to secure a decisive victory in Gaza.

The IDF and Shin Bet eliminated the commander of Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion, Wessam Farhat, the arch-terrorist responsible for dispatching “Nukhba” terrorists to Kibbutz Nahal Oz and the Nahal Oz IDF post on October 7, the IDF said on Saturday.

The IDF said that the Hamas battalion leader, who was also responsible for the slaying of six IDF soldiers during “Operation Protective Edge,” was eliminated in a targeted strike conducted by the air force.

The IDF targeted Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanese territory with a combination of artillery, missile, and aircraft fire on Saturday, the Israeli military said.

A number of launches fired at IDF positions in the Lebanon border area were also detected on Saturday. The IDF responded by targeting the source of the fire.

Later on Saturday, IDF combat aircraft again targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, the military stated.

Again, after more launches from Lebanese territory aimed at Israel were identified, the IDF responded with artillery fire directed at the source of the launches.

Missile from Lebanon hits structure in Israel

Israeli media also reported on Saturday that missile fired from Lebanon at civilian infrastructure in Israel's upper Galilee region, causing significant damage to the impact site.

Earlier, rocket alerts sounded across Israel's north.

The missile hit a structure at the outskirts of Kibbutz Dovev, a community located less than a mile from the Lebanese border.

No casualties have been reported.

This is a developing story

Col. Asaf Hamami was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, the IDF said on Saturday, approving the publication of Hamimi's name among the murdered, nearly two months after Hamas's rampage through southern Israel.

Hamimi, 41, from Kiryat Ono, was a commander in the IDF's Southern Division.

His funeral will be held on Monday, December 4, at 11:00 a.m. IST at the Kiryat Shaul Cemetery.

Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV on Saturday that no more prisoners would be exchanged with Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.

Arouri said the hostages still being held captive by Hamas were Israeli soldiers and civilian men who had previously served in the Israeli army.

He said they would not be freed unless there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian detainees were also released.

"Let the war take its course. This decision is final. We will not compromise on it," Arouri said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Mossad chief David Barnea and his team to return from Qatar due to a "dead end" in negotiations that took place in Doha on Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office said.

A team from Israel's Mossad intelligence service was in Doha Saturday for discussions with Qatari mediators on restarting the Gaza truce, a source briefed on the visit told Reuters.

The IDF on Saturday uncovered dozens of Hamas missiles hidden underneath UNRWA equipment, it announced.

Dozens of missiles with varying capacities, as well as some 30 Grad rockets, were found and confiscated by forces from the 261st Brigade.