The IDF officially announced on Thursday that Division 162 forces have decisively defeated Hamas’s Rafah Brigade after nearly three months of intense fighting in the Rafah area.
So far, Division 162 forces have eliminated more than 2,000 terrorists and destroyed approximately 13 kilometers of underground tunnels. Additionally, the division’s forces dismantled Hamas’s Rafah Brigade.
Documentation of Division 162 Forces’ Operations in Rafah | IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
In recent weeks, brigade combat teams from the Nahal, Givati, and 401 Brigades, as well as the Yahalom Unit and Shayetet 13, have been engaged in fierce battles in the ‘Tel Sultan’ neighborhood. As part of the operation, over 250 terrorists were eliminated, including Mahmoud Hamdan, the commander of the ‘Tel Sultan’ Battalion, as well as most of the battalion’s command chain.
Additionally, the forces succeeded in destroying approximately 80% of the underground routes identified in the area, mainly near and beneath the Philadelphi Route. The division’s engineering forces and Yahalom Unit continue to work on identifying and destroying underground routes and other terror infrastructures in the area.
Documentation of the Destruction of Underground Routes along the Philadelphi Route | IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
Simultaneously with the fighting on the southern front, the IDF continues offensive operations on the northern front. According to an IDF Spokesperson’s report today, Israeli Air Force aircraft, directed by Division 210, attacked terrorists in the Quneitra region of southern Syria. During the strike, Ahmed Al-Jabr, a terrorist affiliated with the “Golan File” unit, Hezbollah’s branch in Syria, was eliminated.
It was also reported that in another strike in the Rafeed area of Syria, another terrorist who was working to advance terror activities against Israel in cooperation with Iranian elements was targeted. Additionally, earlier today, air defense fighters intercepted a suspicious aerial target approaching Israel from Lebanon.
The IDF is operating on multiple fronts as part of the ongoing conflict since October 7. In the south, ground forces continue their operations deep inside the Gaza Strip, where thousands of terrorists have been eliminated, and terror infrastructure and tunnels have been destroyed. At the same time, in the north, the IDF is carrying out targeted strikes in Syria and Lebanon to neutralize threats from Hezbollah and its affiliates.
