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According to the IDF, the soldier was injured by an accidental discharge during an operation in the area. He was evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital, and his family has been notified.
Meanwhile, fighting continues across the Gaza Strip, along with a wave of new evacuation orders. IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued evacuation notices Friday for residents of several neighborhoods in northern Gaza, including eastern Shujaiya, Tuffah, and eastern Zeitoun. Shortly after the announcement, residents were seen leaving those areas toward western Gaza City.
Evacuation notices were also issued for the areas of Khuza'a, Abasan al-Kabira, and Abasan al-Jadida. "The IDF has launched a powerful offensive. This area is considered an active combat zone. For your safety, evacuate immediately to shelters in Khan Younis," the statement read.
According to the IDF, forces from the 36th Division expanded operations overnight along the “Morag Route” corridor. Saudi outlet Al Arabiya, citing an Israeli security source, reported that the IDF has completed its takeover of the route in southern Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to the corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis as the “second Philadelphi,” and said in a speech last week that Israel’s goal in expanding its operations is to secure control over the route.
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A shaft in a kindergarten yard. The IDF operates in Rafah
(Video: IDF)
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In Rafah, a Golani Brigade unit uncovered a Hamas tunnel shaft located in a compound that previously served as a kindergarten, roughly 100 meters from a former school. Combat engineers from the elite Yahalom Unit investigated the shaft, which led to a booby-trapped underground passage stretching several dozen meters. The tunnel shaft and passage were destroyed.
In the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, a Gaza Division unit killed Ahmad Farhat, the sniper commander of Hamas’ Tel Sultan Battalion. Ground operations are continuing in the nearby Shaboura neighborhood as well.
Airstrikes have also continued across the strip. The IDF said it targeted around 40 terror sites over the past day, including militant squads, buildings used for terrorist activity, weapons storage facilities, and additional infrastructure. On Friday morning, Palestinian sources reported that 10 people were killed in an airstrike in central Khan Younis.