- In a recent announcement, Israel asserts victory over Hamas' military wing in the Rafah region.
It seems that Israel has allegedly triumphant over the Hamas Battalion in the Rafah section of the southern Gaza Strip. As reported, during a visit to the border area shared by Gaza and Egypt, Defense Minister Joav Galant stated, "The Hamas Battalion has been subdued, and over 150 tunnels in this region have been demolished." He further directed the troops to concentrate on eradicating the remaining tunnels along the border connecting the coastal strip to Egypt in the upcoming days.
In May, against wide-ranging international criticism, Israel moved into Rafah to eliminate the remaining strength of the Islamic extremist group. Approximately one million refugees, stuffed into the city, left the area. Israeli forces also seized control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt and the so-called Philadelphi Corridor.
The area along the border with Egypt remains a contentious issue. This approximately 14-kilometer span serves as one of the main hurdles in negotiations aimed at achieving a Gaza ceasefire. Hamas demands a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that Israel must maintain control over the corridor even after a ceasefire to prevent arms smuggling.
The unrest in Gaza was instigated by the bloodiest massacre in Israel's history, where more than 1,200 deaths were recorded on October 7, 2021, due to actions by Hamas and other radical organizations. Over 250 hostages were abducted from Israel and transported to Gaza.
During the subsequent Israeli operation in the sealed coastal strip, the Hamas-controlled health department reported that more than 40,223 people had perished and nearly 93,000 had been wounded. However, it's essential to note that these figures, which lack independent verification, do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Therefugees who fled Rafah during the Israeli operation were sought refuge in nearby Egyptian cities. After Israel's operation in Rafah, the Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah border crossing, citing security concerns.
