Jerusalem, May 23 (EFE).- Israeli troops advanced further into Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, and killed several suspected Hamas militiamen in “hand-to-hand” combat, while maintaining airstrikes over almost the entire enclave.
“Troops are operating based on information about terrorist targets in the neighborhoods of Brasil and Shabura while doing everything possible to prevent harm to civilians and after the civilian population in the area was evacuated,” a military statement said.
Israel’s military operation in Rafah, which began on May 6, was very controversial because more than 1.4 million displaced people were taking refuge there, who were once again ordered to evacuate without a safe place to go.
According to Israel, some 950,000 Gazans have since fled Rafah and most have moved to Khan Younis, which has been devastated after five months of fighting there, or to Mawasi, a coastal area where hundreds of thousands of people already live in overcrowded areas. beach without drinking water or sanitation.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan revealed this Wednesday that the Israeli Government informed him during his recent visit to Tel Aviv of its plans to reduce the death of Gazan civilians in Rafah, where Palestinian medical sources report daily. civilian deaths in Israeli bombings.
“The aviation eliminated three terrorists belonging to a mortar squadron, who fired mortar shells at the troops in Rafah,” said the Army, which also maintains its military operations in Jabalia, in the north of the Strip, and in the center .
In the Jabalia refugee camp, which Israel has been under siege for more than a week, the Army said it had attacked military complexes and weapons warehouses, in addition to eliminating “terrorists.”
In the center of the enclave, where fighting has not stopped for more than five months, Israel said it had eliminated the head of a Hamas squad who operated from a hideout, two “terrorists” who opened fire on troops and another who participated in the attack in Israel on October 7.
The Army also reported a “selective raid” yesterday in Beit Hanoun, in the extreme northeast of the enclave, to “eliminate” an alleged Hamas cell identified there, as well as “terrorist infrastructure.”
Three Israeli soldiers died in that operation, whose names were already revealed yesterday, bringing the number of casualties in their ranks since the ground invasion in the Strip began to 286.
“In cooperation with the Air Force, troops attacked numerous terrorist targets, including an anti-tank launch site, a military complex and sniper posts,” in addition to several fighters, the Army said of the operation in Beit Hanoun, which began yesterday but continues today.
The Gazan dead in the Strip already exceed 35,700 – more than 70% women and children – and the wounded exceed 80,000, in addition to 10,000 bodies missing under the rubble, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas. EFE
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