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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced on Wednesday that Israel defeated a Hamas battalion in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, during a visit to the border area between Gaza and Egypt.
“the [Hamas] He added, “The Rafah Brigade was defeated and more than 150 tunnels in the area were destroyed.”
He instructed the forces to focus on destroying the remaining tunnels on the border between the coastal strip and Egypt during the coming period.
Israel had advanced on Rafah in May, despite strong international criticism, with the aim of destroying the remaining forces of the Palestinian Islamic terrorist organization there. An estimated one million refugees were crowded into the city, but they have since left.
Israeli forces also took control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. This 14-kilometer-long area is one of the biggest sticking points in negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel must continue to control the passage even after a ceasefire in order to prevent arms smuggling.
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