@Jade2hThe gnome problem has existed since before the patch. I was able to get it the first time I went looking for it, but not everyone has been so lucky. Some people were able to get it by starting a private match, others had to reset their consoles a few times to get it to show up. There is no definite fix, but there are things you can try.
As for shots not registering, it felt like that was happening to me before the patch. Shots that looked like they should be hitting would have no effect. After the patch it is a lot worse and much more obvious when it happens. When it happens now it doesn't seem to be one or two hits but instead no hits register for a second or two even though you can see them hit.
I have been fortunate enough not to be disconnected from Ops more than once. Since the patch I have had several games where no one joined, or no one joined until half way through the game. It could just be that no one was available to join, but it does seem odd given how it never seemed to occur before the patch.