The IDF reported on Tuesday that Givati Brigade forces, operating under the command of the 162nd Division, are continuing their operations in the Shabora neighborhood of Rafah in southern Gaza.
According to the army, numerous weapons and hundreds of "terrorist infrastructures" have been destroyed during the operation. Over the past few days, approximately 100 Hamas terrorists have been eliminated.
Footage released by the IDF shows the elimination of an armed terrorist squad walking near a donkey pulling a cart. The donkey appeared unharmed but was visibly startled by the nearby explosions. The airstrike was directed by forces from the 932nd Battalion.
"During the searches, the forces identified an armed terrorist squad and, in a precise strike, eliminated the terrorists. The soldiers also discovered and destroyed booby-trapped buildings and hidden weapons caches," the IDF said.
Additionally, forces from the Tzabar Battalion engaged in a firefight with a terrorist squad holed up in an apartment in a residential neighborhood, killing the terrorists. "After the encounter, the forces raided the building, where they found weapons, vests and an operational tunnel," the IDF reported.
Footage of IDF eliminating a terrorist squad
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Last week, the IDF also released footage from the fighting in Rafah, showing a tunnel discovered in the bathroom of a residential home and secret passageways in the walls intended for planning ambushes. The IDF stated yesterday that Nahal Brigade soldiers are also fighting in Rafah under the command of the 162nd Division.
As part of the operation in Rafah, the IDF is also operating along the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt. The issue of Israeli presence along this route, as well as at the Rafah crossing, is a significant obstacle in the ongoing negotiations with Hamas over hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Israel maintain a presence in this area, a condition that Hamas has rejected.