Israel has defeated the Hamas brigade in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed on Wednesday during a visit to the Gaza-Egypt border area.
“The (Hamas) Rafah Brigade has been defeated and more than 150 tunnels have been destroyed in the region,” he said. He had
ordered the troops to concentrate in the coming period on destroying the remaining tunnels on the border between the coastal strip and Egypt.
Israel had advanced to Rafah in May, despite massive international criticism, to destroy the remaining forces of the Palestinian Islamic terror organization there. An estimated 1 million refugees had entered the city, but have since left.
Israeli forces also captured the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. This 14-kilometer-long area is seen as one of the biggest sticking points in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Hamas demands that Israel withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, insists that Israel must continue to control the corridor even after a ceasefire to prevent weapons smuggling.
