Tunnels under children’s bedrooms and silent streets – Sky News witnesses flattened city in Gaza
Rafah is now a wasteland.
The city in Gaza has been totally flattened by months of war.
The rubble in places is many metres high, the buildings that are still standing are hollow shells, their dark, empty windows like vacant souls in a horror show.
Sky News visited what remains of Rafah – a city once home to hundreds of thousands of people
The IDF allowed a Sky News team into the flattened city
One IDF soldier privately told Sky News that they understood it looked bad, but claimed they had no choice
Were it not for the constant whine of drones overhead, the streets would be silent.
The silence is occasionally broken by gunfire as remaining Hamas fighters step out of the ruins to fight a battle they’re losing.
Honestly, sometimes it is just hard to find the words to describe what you’re seeing.
I stood in what was a side street, surrounded by the remains of houses with clothes still hanging in wardrobes, children’s toys on the floor, a large cuddly bear hanging from a first-floor bedroom, and a pink tricycle vivid among the grey dust and debris.
Fifty metres away was a large roundabout, the recognisable contours of a school building still stood on the far side of the street.
Two Israeli tanks were parked there, watching, guarding, ready for the slightest movement.
It was on these streets and in these buildings where Hamas built up its arsenal, dug its tunnels and planned its attacks. And they’re still there.
Clothes still hung in a wardrobe from where families seemingly left in a hurry
A lone child’s tricycle was visible in the remains of one home
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International journalists cannot independently enter Gaza without an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) escort.
So it’s impossible to know whether this level of destruction was necessary or needless vengeance, punishment for a population considered collectively guilty for the worst massacre in Israel’s history.
I’d been into Gaza before the war and as I stood still, taking it all in, my memories started to bring the streets back to life.
I could see the bustle of the markets and restaurants, I could hear the constant traffic and the noise of children, so many children – half of Gaza’s population is under the age of 18.
“I know how bad this looks,” one soldier privately told me, “but we had no choice: Hamas had months to prepare for the Rafah fight, they set booby traps in houses and fought hard.”
A few metres away was the tunnel where six murdered Israeli hostages were found two weeks ago.
The six Israeli hostages murdered two weeks ago were found in this tunnel
Sky News’ Alistair Bunkall amid the destruction in Gaza
The entry shaft was under a child’s bedroom painted with Disney figures, quite possibly directly beneath the bed itself.
I was able to picture that room as I stood quietly taking it in, and I could imagine the joy of a child going to sleep watched over by Mickey Mouse and Cinderella.
I wonder where that child is now?
The entry shaft to part of Hamas’s tunnel network was found under a child’s bedroom, the IDF says
And how do you judge that stolen innocence with the tragedy that happened beneath it? Six people, also innocent, executed with bullets in the back of their heads.
Rafah is a city of ghosts.
We had driven into Gaza along the Philadelphi corridor, the nine-mile passage that runs along the Egyptian border fence and which has been the latest and heavily debated sticking point to a ceasefire deal.
Much of it is newly tarmacked by the Israelis, creating a highway that runs east to west.
They now have full control of it, and they now surround Gaza on all four sides.
The newly tarmacked Philadelphi corridor
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on keeping an IDF presence there to prevent Hamas smuggling weapons back in.
He also fears Hamas could try to smuggle hostages out of Gaza and, he claims, into Yemen or Iran, something that Israeli security officials say is not backed up by intelligence.
The Israeli military has uncovered nine tunnels running into Egypt. They were already blocked off by Hamas and the Egyptians before the Israelis got there.
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We were shown one, big enough to drive vehicles through. Machines nearby are drilling deep into the ground in search of more tunnels. The IDF isn’t certain they will find any.
There is still hopeful talk of a ceasefire, but frankly, it doesn’t feel likely.
The IDF believes it has created the conditions for one, but the decision is up to the politicians.
Up to the leaders, Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar and Mr Netanyahu. Each blames the other for the failure to reach an agreement.
In the meantime, the war in Gaza is changing – the fighting continues and airstrikes are still killing people on a daily basis, but it’s moving towards a grinding counter-insurgency and if that’s what the Israeli government wants, then it could be like this for years.
Sky News was granted permission by the Israeli military to enter Gaza – though our team’s movements were restricted and the material we gathered had to be authorised by the IDF
US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new pope.
Senior cardinal Dominique Mamberti came out onto St Peter’s balcony to announce the new pope to cheering crowds as thousands of people gathered in the square below, saying the famous Latin words: “Habemus Papam”, meaning “we have a pope”.
The 69-year-old will take the name Leo XIV – and greeted thousands of faithful from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new head of the Catholic Church.
Speaking in Italian, the pontiff says Pope Francis was always “courageous and blessed Rome”.
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Moment new pope emerges on balcony
“The pope that blessed Rome gave his blessing to the whole world on that Easter morning,” he says.
“Together we must try to find out how to be a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue and is open to receives everybody.
“Let us follow up that blessing. God loves us and God loves all of you.
“Sin will not prevail, we are all in the hands of God.”
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost poses after being elevated to the rank of cardinal at the Vatican, September 30, 2023 REUTERS/Yara Nardi
The pope went on to speak in Spanish, nodding to his time as a missionary, and said: “I would particularly like to say hello to my compatriots from Peru.
“It was a great pleasure for me to work in Peru.”
The new pontiff was chosen on the second day of the conclave after white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel at just after 5pm (UK time) on Thursday.
Some 133 cardinals gathered in Rome before being led into the Sistine Chapel on 7 May to start the conclave – the secretive process to decide the new pontiff.
They handed over their phones before entering the building, which had been swept for hidden cameras, recording equipment, and bugs.
The windows were also covered to keep the outside world out and to stop drones from spying.
Each cardinal swore an oath of secrecy. They did not emerge from the Vatican until the new pope was chosen.
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Conclave: Behind the scenes
To be elected, the new pontiff had to win a two-thirds majority (89 votes). Afterwards, he was asked whether he accepted the papacy and by which name he wished to be known.
When the pope was chosen, the ballots were burned in a stove with an additive to produce white smoke that billowed from a chimney to alert onlookers that the decision had been made.
Previously, the ballots were burned with an additive to produce black smoke, indicating that the pope had not yet been chosen.
The election comes after Pope Francis died on 21 April at the age of 88 from a stroke and heart failure.
More than 250,000 people gathered at the Vatican for his funeral on 27 April.
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The Vatican has announced the first ever American leader of the Catholic Church – Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The 69-year-old cardinal was born in Chicago and spent many years as a missionary in Peru.
Follow live updates: New pope elected
He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and appointed head of the dicastery for bishops, a powerful position responsible for selecting new bishops.
As cardinal, he said little on key issues of the church, but some of his positions are known.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost in September 2023. Pic: Reuters
He is reportedly very close to Francis’s vision regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants. He said in 2024 “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom”.
He also supported Pope Francis’s stance on allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion. However, he only showed mild support for Francis allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
Pope Leo has years of experience in leadership roles within the church.
He was twice elected to the top position of the Augustinian religious order and Francis clearly had an eye on his progress – moving him from the Augustinian leadership back to Peru in 2014, where he served as administrator and later archbishop of Chiclayo.
He acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and remained in that role until 2023, when Francis brought him to Rome.
While there has long been a taboo against an American pope – given the geopolitical power the US already wields – Leo was being promoted as a “compromise candidate” ahead of the conclave. The amount of time he has spent in Peru also allows him to be seen as a more universal candidate rather than American.
The world learned a new pope had been chosen at around 6.08pm local time (5.08pm UK time) on Thursday as white smoke suddenly emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
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First US pope chosen
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New pope elected by conclave
The 133 cardinals sequestered in the chapel picked the new leader of the Catholic Church on the second day of the conclave.
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As the smoke appeared, cheers went up in St Peter’s Square, where thousands of people had gathered in the hope of witnessing history.
Just over an hour later, the Pope was introduced on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as a crowd of an estimated 50,000 people looked on.
India’s airstrikes on Pakistani-controlled Kashmir after last month’s deadly militant attack on the Indian-administered side of the disputed region have raised fears of a dangerous escalation in the conflict.
It is not yet known what specific weapons were used in Wednesday’s early morning strikes which Delhi said targeted “terrorist camps”, though Islamabad said civilian infrastructure, including mosques, was hit.
However, India is reported to have deployed Rafale jets equipped with SCALP air-to-ground cruise missiles.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have been boosting their military capabilities since they clashed in a series of border skirmishes in 2019.
As of 2024, India has 36 Rafale jets, eight two-seat variants and 28 single-seat variants, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The aircraft were acquired under a 2016 inter-governmental agreement between India and France, which included a weapons package. This package featured MICA and SCALP missiles.
Between 2020 and 2024, around a third of India’s arms imports came from France, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets, on Wednesday following the Indian attack.
If this was the case, the Pakistani military would have used surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). According to IISS, Pakistan has more than 200 SAMs. Although, for context, India has well over 800 across their armed forces.
How do India and Pakistan rank?
India’s overall military capability significantly exceeds that of Pakistan.
It ranks fourth in the world compared to Pakistan’s 12th place, according to Global Firepower’s index, which considers a range of factors to assess military strength.
In terms of personnel, India has 1,237,000 active personnel in its army, 75,000 in the navy and 149,900 air force.
Pakistan has fewer than half that with 560,000 active personnel in the army, 30,000 in the navy and 70,000 in the air force.
Soldiers from the Indian army (left) and Pakistani army (right). Pic: Reuters
India’s armed forces twice the size of Pakistan’s
Sky’s security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke said: “The Indian forces are about double the size of Pakistan’s forces… if it came to a war, India will win.”
He added: “If it’s below the level of a war, if it’s some sort of military confrontation, then Pakistan might think it could get something out of it.”
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
The two forces have similar nuclear capabilities. India has an estimated 180 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has around 170, according to US thinktank the Federation of American Scientists.
However, experts agree that it is unlikely that either side will use their nuclear powers at this stage.
Professor Clarke said: “Nuclear weapons would only be used by any country if its existence is at stake. Nothing that happens in Kashmir threatens the existence of Pakistan or India.”
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
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