The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday that they had taken operational control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. The military stated that special forces were scanning the area to locate any additional terrorist infrastructure or personnel, emphasizing that their focus was solely on the Gazan side of the crossing.
This operation is part of a targeted and limited offensive against specific targets in eastern Rafah, according to the IDF. The military’s actions have prompted the relocation of local organizations and residents to safer areas. The operation, which began on Monday, has resulted in the deaths of 20 militants.
The Israeli military launched targeted strikes against the Hamas militant group in Rafah after receiving approval from the country’s war cabinet late Monday. This move came hours after Hamas accepted an Egyptian-Qatari peace proposal. However, Israel declared that the agreement did not satisfy its core demands and that it would continue both negotiations and strikes in Rafah.
In response, Qatar announced that its delegation would travel to Cairo on Tuesday to continue indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel’s Prime Minister’s office indicated that while the truce proposal fell short of the country’s expectations, it would dispatch a delegation to meet with negotiators in an attempt to reach an agreement.
The conflict escalated after Hamas militants launched attacks on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 252 others, with 133 still believed to be held captive in Gaza, according to Israeli estimates. The overall death toll in the conflict has exceeded 34,600 Palestinians.
