In this image taken from a video released by the Israeli Defense Forces on Nov 15, 2023, Israeli troops walk in the area of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. (ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES VIA AP)

JERUSALEM/GAZA – The Israeli army announced on Friday that the body of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas militants during the Oct 7 attacks was returned to Israel after being discovered in a building adjacent to Gaza's largest hospital.

The recovery of the soldier's body came one day after the army said it had extracted the remains of an Israeli civilian who was abducted by Hamas militants on Oct 7 from a structure near the same hospital.

In statements released on Friday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the troops continued operating overnight in the Gaza Strip and fighter jets struck many targets in the Palestinian enclave.

The IDF will continue in its operations within the Gaza Strip, and as far as we are concerned, more and more regions (will be targeted), systematically eliminating commanding officers and eliminating operatives, and eradicating the infrastructure.

Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff, Israel Defense Forces

"We are close to dismantling the military system that was present in the northern Gaza Strip," IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was quoted as saying in a statement.

"The IDF will continue in its operations within the Gaza Strip, and as far as we are concerned, more and more regions (will be targeted), systematically eliminating commanding officers and eliminating operatives, and eradicating the infrastructure," he added.

On Thursday, Israeli forces continued to comb Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa, for the second consecutive day, expanding their searches for hostages and militant activity to other hospitals in the area, while all communications collapsed across the besieged enclave due to a lack of fuel.

During the searches in al-Shifa Hospital, "an underground tunnel shaft has been found beneath the hospital," IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing on Thursday night. He said a vehicle with "many ammunition" was also found below the medical center.

Beneath the Rantisi Hospital, "a complex web of tunnels was found. This is a combat area, where our forces are still fighting (with militants,)" said Hagari, adding that "many weapons" were also found at the al-Quds Hospital. He presented photos showing automatic weapons, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

In an interview with CBS News on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there are "strong indications" that at least some of the hostages were held in the al-Shifa Hospital "which is one of the reasons we entered the hospital."

Israel insisted that the hospital is serving as a military weapons cache, while Hamas and the hospital administration denied the allegations.

Earlier, the army announced that the remains of Yehudit Weiss, an Israeli woman who was abducted by Hamas militants on Oct 7, were extracted by IDF troops from "a structure adjacent to the al-Shifa Hospital." The body was transferred to Israeli territory.

The army released on Wednesday photos of some automatic weapons, RPGs and hand grenades that they said were found in the building but have not provided evidence for a central Hamas military headquarters, which Israel repeatedly claims is concealed below the medical compound.

Al-Shifa's Director Muhammad Abu Salamiya told Al Jazeera TV news that snipers surrounding the hospital had prevented medical staff from moving between the buildings. Troops stormed the hospital's departments, where there were more than 650 inpatients, 500 medical personnel, and 5,000 displaced people seeking shelter. At least four patients who urgently needed dialysis were in "a critical condition" due to the damage to medical services.

A Palestinian wounded in Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is brought to a hospital in Khan Younis, Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Gaza was in desperate need of medical supply as Israel cut off the enclave from electricity, water, food and fuel.

Gaza's main telecom provider Paltel announced on social media platform X a total blackout, including all internet and telephone services, after "all energy sources sustaining the network have been depleted, and fuel was not allowed in."

On Thursday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced the suspension of dozens of drinking water and sewage facilities in central and southern Gaza Strip due to fuel depletion.

Palestinians donate blood at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Nov 16, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Thomas White, UNRWA's operations director in Gaza, said in a post on social media platform X that 76 water wells in the three southern provinces of the Strip, along with two main drinking water stations and 15 sewage pumping stations, have stopped functioning due to fuel shortages.

Sewage was flowing on roads and streets of Rafah city as sewage pumps were out of service due to the depletion of fuel, he said, adding drinking water scarcity could also potentially lead to a 40 percent increase in diarrheal and infectious diseases among displaced people in UNRWA shelters.

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Meanwhile, the shelters managed by the UNRWA in central and southern Gaza are severely overcrowded with a record-high number of displaced persons.

A UNRWA report on Wednesday said that over 1.6 million people in Gaza have become internally displaced, including approximately 813,000 taking shelter in 154 UNRWA installations.

A report of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees on Wednesday said that over 1.6 million people in Gaza have become internally displaced

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in its Wednesday report that the UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their capacity allows, leading to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory infections and diarrhea, raising environmental and health concerns.

The overcrowding is also affecting the agency's ability to provide effective and timely services, according to the OCHA.

Also on Thursday, Hamas's armed wing al-Qassam brigades claimed responsibility for a deadly shooting attack in the morning at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the southern West Bank.

Three gunmen opened fire at Israeli security forces, killing an armed police officer and wounding five others, before being shot dead by other forces, Israeli police said.

The police found in their vehicle two automatic rifles, two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, 10 magazines, and two axes.

The IDF said Israeli warplanes on Thursday struck the residence of Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh that was allegedly used as "terrorist infrastructure" and often served as a meeting place for Hamas' senior leaders.

The Israeli forces also took over the Al-Shati refugee camp and Gaza's harbor, the Israeli army said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a press statement Thursday it was unable to respond to hundreds of calls to help and evacuate the wounded or those trapped under the rubble, while people fleeing from the northern strip are reporting the presence of dead bodies in the streets.

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Nov 12, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting ground operations in northern Gaza Strip. (IDF / HANDOUT VIA XINHUA)

The PRCS also said that the Israeli army imposed a siege on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital using tanks and military vehicles, preventing ambulance teams from reaching the wounded.

According to the Red Crescent, the hospital is the only one still operating in Gaza city and its northern areas.

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By Thursday, day 41 of the Israel-Hamas conflict, more than 11,500 people have been killed by Israel's relentless attacks in Gaza, including 4,710 children and 3,003 women, while more than 29,000 others were injured, according to figures by the Gaza-based Media Office. In Israel, about 1,200 have been killed, mostly in the initial attack by Hamas militants on Oct 7, which triggered the war.