The Israeli military has launched a ground operation in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, with clashes reported between Israeli forces and Hamas militants near the Rafah border crossing, according to Palestinian reports.
The Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing came under Israeli control, presumably in order to prevent smuggling from Egypt. The IDF launched an offensive Monday night in eastern Rafah led by the 162nd Armored Division with the 401st and Giv'ati Brigades. Effectively, the Gaza side of the crossing has been cut off from the Philadelphi Route and is under the operational control of IDF forces. In less than half a day, the IDF struck over 100 Hamas targets.
Video: Israeli armored forces in the Rafah border crossing area / Credit: Usage under Israeli intellectual property law, Article 27a
During the strike, 20 terrorists were killed, and three significant tunnels were found. Additionally, a vehicle-borne explosive was destroyed as it attempted to approach a tank. Special units are sweeping the area for continued combat. There are no casualties among IDF forces.
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The move comes after the Palestinian residents of eastern neighborhoods in Rafah were instructed to evacuate on Monday. It follows the collapse of indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with a senior US official telling CNN that "what Hamas agreed to is different from what Egypt and Israel presented last week."
Israeli forces had the Rafah crossing area as their main target, seeing it as a key transit point for Hamas' buildup of weapons and materiel in recent years compared to the Philadelphi Route. The operation was described as "contained and limited" but could expand or cease depending on developments.
Video: Israeli forces entering the Gazan side of the Rafah Crossing / Credit: Usage under Israeli intellectual property law section 27a
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Prior to the ground incursion, the Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes in Rafah and other areas of Gaza starting around 2:20 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Palestinians reported nine killed in the bombing of a building in Rafah, including a local soccer team's goalkeeper. The US military said it intercepted a missile over the Red Sea that had been fired by Hamas towards Israel.
Humanitarian corridors were disrupted, with activists blocking aid trucks from Jordan headed to Gaza on Highway 1. However, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said it hoped to help broker "an immediate and permanent ceasefire" and that Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal was "positive." The latest escalation follows two Israeli soldiers being killed on Monday by an explosive-laden drone from Lebanon in the Metula area, near the Lebanese border.
