On Thursday, senior IDF officials confirmed that the Hamas terrorist organization’s Rafah division had been definitively defeated. In addition, the officials said that 80% of the terrorist tunnels on the Philadelphi Route were destroyed. This statement confirms the statement by Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who noted these achievements as early as last week during a tour of the Gaza Strip.
The IDF’s achievements in Rafah are not limited to the destruction of the tunnels; they also include the destruction of weapons, launchers and many rockets found in the area. Another significant achievement occurred on Tuesday, when the IDF rescued Farhan al-Qadi, a resident of the Bedouin diaspora who was abducted by Hamas to the Gaza Strip on October 7. Al-Qadi was rescued by our forces from the Rafah area, safe and sound, after being alone in a tunnel with no guards or other hostages. In a conversation Farhan had with President Herzog after the rescue, he shared excitedly about the moment he heard a Hebrew conversation outside the tunnel, “Suddenly I hear someone speaking in Hebrew outside the door, I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it. Thank you very much. It’s because of our army, they’re doing sacred work, risking their lives. Thank you very much, Mr. President.”
Beginning in May, the IDF began a ground operation in the terrorist stronghold in the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt along the Philadelphi route. During the operation, the IDF destroyed a large number of terrorist tunnels, some of which crossed into Egyptian territory, which caused the cutting of Hamas’ main oxygen artery. Despite the heavy pressure exerted on Israel to refrain from occupying the city and dismantling the Rafah Brigade, the government chose to continue the operation, and succeeded in leading to significant achievements in the Gaza Strip.
As the many reports from the negotiations between Israel and Hamas testify, the axis is very important for Hamas and therefore insists on returning the axis for quick rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stresses the need for an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi route, despite pressure from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. Egypt, which has failed to manage and control the axis on its part, rejects any proposal for continued Israeli presence and prefers to transfer control to elements of the Palestinian Authority.
At the same time, the IDF continues its counterterrorist activities on all fronts, and today it has been reported by the General Staff that the IDF and the Shin Bet have completed an intensive operation lasting about 30 hours to thwart terrorism in the Pharaoh’s camp in the Jordan Valley. During the operation, the forces eliminated a terrorist squad from the air and located an operational command center and a cargo laboratory in the mosque.
