Rafah Offensive Has Destroyed Half of Hamas, Israel Expects Full Control in Two Weeks

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that it has defeated half of Hamas’s battalions in Rafah, killing at least 550 terrorists. They also destroyed around 200 tunnel shafts and eliminated the terror group’s last major rocket inventory as the operation in Gaza’s southernmost city continued.

The IDF also stated that within a couple of weeks, it would likely control all of Rafah, with the final battles against the remaining two Hamas battalions in parts of Tel al-Sultan and the eastern part of Shabura already underway.

The IDF detailed that its 162nd Division, led by Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, has been fighting in Rafah for over 40 days and currently has gained operational control over 60-70% of the city. Nearly all of the 1.4 million civilians have long fled to al-Muwasi on the coast, central Gaza, and Khan Yunis.

They first secured the city’s eastern outskirts and the border crossing with Egypt in early May. About a week and a half later, in the second stage of the operation, the division captured the Brazil neighborhood. In the third stage of the Rafah offensive, the IDF secured the entire Egypt-Gaza border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and advanced into the city’s northwestern Tel Sultan neighborhood.

The IDF also reported that the tunnel network in Rafah, particularly near the Philadelphi Corridor with Egypt, is even more complex than those found in Khan Yunis, Jabaliya, and the military quarter of Gaza City.

While the IDF has stated that they have eliminated at least 550 terrorists, it is evident that the vast majority of Hamas’s 4,000 to 8,000 terrorists in Rafah fled along with the civilians who left the area.

Since the start of the war, the 162nd Division has suffered 3,800 wounded and 180 killed, including 23 fallen in the Rafah battles.

Meeting with commanders in Rafah on Sunday, IDF Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman stated that fighting in Gaza’s southernmost city would continue until Hamas was defeated.

During his visit, Finkelman discussed operational achievements and addressed the deadly explosion that killed eight troops inside a Namer armored combat engineering vehicle.

“We are here after a painful incident that occurred yesterday,” Finkelman said. “We lost fighters and commanders during the attack. These are our best sons.” Despite the heavy losses, he added, “our imperative is to continue moving forward. You are attacking Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, and we will continue until we defeat it.”

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