The IDF said on Wednesday that its forces have made significant strides in the war against Hamas. According to reports, forces reached the outskirts of a refugee camp located in the center of Rafah, but have not yet entered tghe city center, as intense fighting continues.
The boy leaves the area, and the terrorist is killed
(IDF)
The Wall Street Journal, citing Egyptian sources, reported that the IDF controls 70% of the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt effectively controls half of the border area.
The military said that forces identified and destroyed launch sites in the Rafah area, which were loaded and aimed toward Israeli territory.
The United Nations reported that approximately 800,000 people have fled Rafah in recent days, while Israel claimed the figure was even higher. In light of the mass evacuation and efforts to avoid harming civilians, the Biden administration was expected to soften its opposition to a broad Israeli operation in Rafah.
According to a report in Politico, the White House claimed that the IDF has only managed to take out about a third of Hamas terrorists, and has left the majority of terror tunnels undisturbed. Senior figures in the Biden administration believed that Netanyahu's indecisiveness regarding the management of the Gaza Strip after the war had emboldened Hamas, to the point where it is routinely recruiting new terrorists in the areas where IDF has moved on from.
Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF announced the killing of a senior Hamas Northern Command operative Ahmed Yasser Alkara, who had taken part in the massacre of October 7 and carried out numerous shooting attempts directed at IDF troops. As troops prepared to carry out a strike on Alkara, a child was identified nearby, prompting forces to halt their operation. After the boy left the area, the forces attacked, killing the terrorist.
The IDF said Air Force fighter jets killed five Hamas terrorists who operated from within a school compound in northern Gaza. The military said the attack was planned carefully, using precise fire and taking measures to ensure no civilians would be hurt.