Politics Israeli military wants to destroy terror infrastructure in Rafah

Following fierce fighting against the last major Hamas units in the south of the Gaza Strip, Israel's armed forces want to destroy the Islamists' infrastructure.

During the offensive in Rafah, the military claims to have killed over 900 terrorists - "including at least one battalion commander, many company commanders and numerous fighters", as Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday during a troop visit to the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The information could not initially be verified.

"We are now concentrating on destroying the terrorist infrastructure, which will take time, said Halevi. "This is a long operation, because we don't want to leave Rafah with the terrorist infrastructure intact."

In the next phase, the Israeli armed forces would change their tactics, the Chief of Staff announced. The aim is to wear down the enemy and complete the mission. "We need willpower, patience and perseverance, then the results will speak for themselves in the future," said Halevi.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously held out the prospect that the last major Hamas combat units in the south of the Gaza Strip would soon be dismantled. This could at least put an end to the large-scale ground offensive in the sealed-off coastal strip. However, this would not necessarily mean an end to the military operation. Netanyahu and senior military officials have already announced several times that Israeli troops would remain in strategic locations in the Gaza Strip even after the phase of intense fighting.

Palestinians: dead in attacks in the Gaza Strip

According to Palestinian reports, at least 31 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. According to medical sources, 17 Palestinians were killed in the city of Gaza alone. This information could not be independently verified at first. According to the information, eight people were killed in attacks in the south of the coastal region.

The Israeli armed forces had previously announced that they had attacked targets in the Gaza Strip following rocket fire on Israeli towns and villages. Residents of eastern neighborhoods of the city of Chan Junis had been asked to leave the area in advance. The terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack on Israeli border towns with around 20 rockets. According to the army, fighting also continued elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. The military reported the death of two soldiers in action. Another soldier was also seriously injured.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, almost 38,000 people have been killed and more than 87,000 injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. The data, which can hardly be verified independently, does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. The war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people killed by terrorists from Hamas and other groups in Israel on October 7.