Israel-Gaza live updates: IDF finds no operational smuggling tunnels in Rafah

In the nearly four months the Israel Defense Forces have been in Rafah, it has not found any operational smuggling tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border, multiple Israeli sources told ABC News.

The IDF found nine tunnels that ran under the Philadelphi corridor, all of which were blocked at some point on the Egyptian side, sources said. The IDF has located a total of 200 tunnels in the Rafah area.

For months, the military has been pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that Israel needs to maintain a military presence on the Philadelphi corridor because that’s where Hamas smuggles weapons into Israel via the tunnels.

This pushback has become increasingly vocal, and is echoed by the very top of the military and defense chain of command. They are quietly demanding a cease-fire deal and are calling Netanyahu’s bluff.

IDF sources said they now believe most of the smuggling was happening above ground through the Egypt-Gaza border crossing.

-ABC News' Matt Gutman

The World Health Organization said it had evacuated at least 97 patients and 155 companions from Gaza on Wednesday, taking them to the United Arab Emirates for medical treatment.

This was the largest medical evacuation from Gaza since October 2023, according to Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory.

Patients were transported in ambulances via the Kerem Shalom crossing from Gaza to Ramon Airport in Israel for travel to Abu Dhabi.

Patients included 45 children and 52 adults with a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, congenital anomalies, blood and liver diseases, trauma and injuries.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

It is possible 2,000-pound bombs were used in deadly Israeli strike in the humanitarian area of Al Mawasi in Gaza on Sept. 10, two experts told ABC News.

At least 19 people were killed and 60 others were injured in the attack, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Videos and photo captured from the site of the deadly strike show two large craters with fabric and debris buried in the sand. A photo captured by Quds News Network shows what appears to be a conical-shaped missile fragment.

The remnant of a missile recovered from the site and large craters suggest the most likely munition used to conduct the attack was "a 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bomb fitted with an Israeli-made SPICE 2000 guidance kit," N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of the consultancy Armament Research Services, told ABC News.

Satellite imagery captured the day before the attack show a cluster of a dozen tents at the location of the strike in the densely populated Al Mawasi area. Imagery captured after the attack shows the temporary structures are nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by two large craters, one measuring almost 46 feet in length.

The craters are consistent with "multiple MK-84s which are 2,000 pounds" and "the fragment recovered appears to be from a Spice-2,000 bomb guidance kit tail section," Trevor Ball, a former US Army EOD specialist, told ABC News after reviewing the photos and satellite imagery.

The United Nations' Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the kill radius of a 2,000-pound bomb is almost 110 feet.

-ABC News' Chris Looft

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of blocking a cease-fire and hostage-release deal.

"Hamas is trying to hide the fact that it continues to oppose the hostage release deal and prevents it from materializing," Netanyahu said in a statement posted to X.

Netanyahu said Israel accepted the offer put forward by the U.S. on Aug. 16, but that "Hamas rejected it and murdered six hostages in cold blood."

"The world must demand that Hamas release the hostages immediately.," the prime minister said, referring to the 101 hostages still held in Gaza, around half of whom are believed to be alive.

Hamas has repeatedly blamed Netanyahu for the gridlock, alleging the prime minister is intentionally sabotaging talks to retain political power in Israel.

Egyptian and Qatari officials met with a top Hamas official in Doha on Wednesday in a bid to restart cease-fire negotiations, which fell apart after the last round of talks in August.

Hamas released a statement on Wednesday evening reiterating they want to revert to the deal proposed on July 2.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti