The Israeli army says it has broken open the sealed blast door at the end of a suspected Hamas tunnel under the al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip.

The military published two pictures on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter, Tuesday evening showing the open door in a tunnel.

What exactly is behind the door remained unclear at first.

“Just through this door, underneath the Shifa Hospital, are Hamas’ terrorists tunnels.

“Here’s the PROOF of Hamas’ terrorism festering underneath hospitals,” the Israel Defense Forces said in their post on X.

However, the photographs were published without context and could not be independently verified.

The military suspects a command centre of the Islamist Hamas under the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Buildings in the vicinity of the hospital were also suspected.

According to the army, a shaft uncovered a few days ago in the grounds of the embattled hospital led to a tunnel, at the end of which there was a locked “explosion-proof door” after 55 metres.

Israel says the tunnel leads to a network of Hamas tunnels and bunkers.

In spite of international criticism, Israeli soldiers have been engaging in combat operations in and around the Shifa hospital for days.

Israel accuses Hamas of misusing the hospital for “terrorist purposes.”

But Hamas denies this.

• dpa

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Israeli tanks and infantry raided the northern Gaza Strip in a predawn attack Thursday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

The military said that forces conducted a targeted raid using tanks in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to the statement, the raid was part of preparations for the next stages of combat, in which Israel planned a ground offensive in Gaza.

During the raid, soldiers located and struck numerous militants, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts and “operated to prepare the battlefield,’’ IDF said.

It said the soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory.

There were no reports of casualties on the Israeli side and the soldiers exited the area at the end of the incursion.

At least 6,546 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war on Hamas on Oct. 7 following Hamas’ onslaught on communities in southern Israel earlier that day.

• Xinhua

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says it will investigate the alleged murder of a Nigerian student by a group of Chinese citizens in the Philippines.

This is contained in a statement by Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations, and Protocol Unit of NiDCOM.

According to the statement, the investigation is intended to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the student identified as Ikem.

“The attention of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has been drawn to a viral social media news item on the death of a Nigerian student, identified as Ikem, who was allegedly murdered by

a group of Chinese in the Republic of the Philippines.

“Though the matter had not been officially reported to the Nigerian embassy in the Philippines, NIDCOM has asked the eyewitness who posted the gory incident on his social media handle to provide more

details to the Commission’s e-mail —admin@nidcom.gov.ng,” the statement read in parts.