The IDF said on Monday that it had targeted dozens of Hamas terrorists in the Rafah area in Southern Gaza, located large quantities of weapons, and dismantled terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground.
The military said that Hamas used two schools a field hospital and a cemetery to launch rockets at Israeli communities in the south. "This is a further example of the systematic abuse of civilian and humanitarian infrastructure by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza," the military said adding it had killed the terrorist responsible for rocket on Sunday.
Heavy fighting was reported in the area of Rafah on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who was visiting Israel to advance a cease-fire and hostage release deal met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Earlier Blinken spoke to reporters before meeting with President Issac Herzog and said the current proposal being negotiated by mediators, was "probably the best, maybe the last opportunity" to reach a deal.
"This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security."
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: GPO)
Hamas claimed responsibility for a terror attack in Tel Aviv on Sunday. A Palestinian resident of the West Bank was killed when a bomb he was carrying detonated outside a synagogue injuring a passer-by.
Security forces said they were investigating how the terrorist entered Israel and if the blast occurred at his intended target or whether a malfunction caused the explosion in a virtually deserted street.