The IDF reported Friday that Division 162 forces continue to engage in battle in the Rafah area, eliminating Hamas terrorists in close-combat encounters.
Residents in the Gaza Strip reported that the pace of Israeli advancement has appeared to accelerate over the past two days.
Reuters reported that it seems the IDF is attempting to complete the capture of the city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, one of the two main focal points of current operations, alongside Deir al-Balah in the central region.
Tanks are reportedly advancing into the western and northern parts of the city, having already secured the east, south, and center. Israeli forces are said to be firing on the city from planes, tanks, and ships positioned off the coast.
Earlier today, the Israeli Air Force destroyed a ready-to-launch site set up by Islamic Jihad in a shelter in the humanitarian zone of Khan Younis. "Extensive efforts were made to minimize the risk to non-combatants" before the strike the IDF Spokesperson's Unit emphasized.
The IDF also reported on Friday that 27-year-old Sgt. first class (res.) Saadia Yaakov Dery from Tel Aviv, and 25-year-old Sgt. first class (res.) Omer Smadga from Ganot Hadar of the Alexandroni Brigade’s 9203rd Battalion were killed by a mortar shell in the Netzarim Corridor in Central Gaza.