The IDF said its forces overnight identified eight terrorists emerging from an underground infrastructure site in eastern Rafah and launched airstrikes that killed three of them.
According to the military, troops from Unit 414, part of the combat intelligence collection array, spotted the terrorists early Friday. The air force, acting on guidance from the Gaza Division, carried out the initial strike, the military said.
Additional strikes were later conducted against areas where the remaining militants attempted to flee. The military said the results of those strikes were still under review and that ground forces continue to conduct extensive searches in the area to locate and kill the remaining terrorists.
Separately, military officials said in recent days that Israel has begun adopting overall fatality estimates published by Gaza’s Health Ministry for the war, while continuing to assess how many of those killed were terrorists. “We estimate that about 70,000 Gazans have been killed in the war, not including missing persons,” senior military officials said this week. “We are currently working on breaking down the figures between militants and uninvolved civilians.”
In its latest update, Gaza’s Health Ministry said 71,667 people have been killed in the territory since October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, triggering the war. The ministry said about 171,000 wounded people have been treated in Gaza hospitals.
The BBC reported Thursday that Israel had previously questioned the Gaza Health Ministry’s figures, while noting that the data has been regarded as credible by the United Nations and other human rights organizations.
First published: 08:51, 01.30.26