IDF troops find shafts, covert passages in Rafah homes
( Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
On Thursday, the IDF released footage from the ongoing fighting in Rafah. The clip shows a hidden tunnel shaft discovered in a bathroom of a residential home in the city, as well as secret passages in walls intended for terrorists to carry out ambushes against troops.
"These passages were designed to be used in ambushes against IDF troops while using the civilian population as human shields for the terrorists’ activities," the IDF said in a statement.
The terrorists’ passage through kitchen walls in a residential building in Rafah
(IDF)
“In one activity, a terrorist cell hiding inside an apartment that was being used as terrorist infrastructure was struck by the IAF following the direction of the brigade’s Fire Control Center. During the strike, the deputy commander of the aerial unit of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade was eliminated,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians reported that at least 15 people were killed in the bombing of two schools in Gaza City’s Daraj Tuffah neighborhood. The IDF said in an earlier statement the buildings were "Hamas command and control centers" where terrorists were present.
According to the IDF, fighter jets conducted a "precise" strike against the two complexes hidden inside the schools. “The school compounds were used by Hamas terrorists and commanders as command and control centers, from which they planned and carried out attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the military’s statement read.
“Before the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, surveillance, and additional intelligence,” it added.
Body cameras of the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion troops in the Rafah area
(IDF)