IDF forces captured the Rafah crossing on the Gaza side overnight Tuesday. According to the IDF, the 162nd Armored Division, the 401st Armored Brigade, the Givati Infantry Brigade, and special units are operating in eastern Rafah. So far, more than 150 targets have been attacked and operational control of the Rafah crossing has been achieved. Twenty terrorists were killed and three tunnel shafts were located.
The “Palestinian” flags at the crossing were promptly replaced with Israeli flags, just in time for Independence Day.
7.5.24 שבעה חודשים לאחר טבח השבעה באוקטובר – דגל ישראל מונף בגאון במעבר רפיח. pic.twitter.com/NKbTFW0SHw
— הלל ביטון רוזן | Hallel Bitton Rosen (@BittonRosen) May 7, 2024
Hamas terrorists tried to attack the troops with a car bomb during the night, but it was destroyed and there were no casualties to our forces.
בוקר טוב למעבר רפיח pic.twitter.com/0tMMI2jyfh
— הלל ביטון רוזן | Hallel Bitton Rosen (@BittonRosen) May 7, 2024
The Wall Street Journal noted Tuesday morning that Israel decided to take over Rafah despite the Biden administration’s hyper-campaign to prevent the assault, only hours after President Biden had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a full-scale invasion of Rafah. “The Israeli attack signaled the wide gulf between Biden and Netanyahu over a strategy for securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and ultimately bringing the fighting to an end,” the WSJ noted.
כוחות צה״ל בהובלת אוגדה 162 החלו הלילה בהכוונה מודיעינית של שב”כ ואמ”ן בפעילות ממוקדת ובאזורים מוגבלים במזרח רפיח נגד תשתיות טרור של ארגון הטרור חמאס>> pic.twitter.com/C1KT6UnpKM
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 7, 2024
A few hours before the overnight operation, likely while Biden and Netanyahu were still on the phone, the IDF began evacuating the civilian population from the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah toward humanitarian areas along the shore. Tens of thousands of Gazans were evacuated after the IDF dispersed leaflets from the air and sent SMS messages to those staying in Rafah, stating that they must evacuate before the entry of IDF forces into the city. The city at the southern end of the Gaza Strip today has more than a million civilians mixed with Hamas and other terrorists.
An American official told Reuters that although the US is concerned about the Israeli attacks in Rafah, it does not appear to be a major military operation. UN Secretary-General Guterres said that a ground operation in Rafah would be “unbearable.”
As for the negotiations for the return of the hostages, the Israeli teams are examining Hamas’s answer to their proposal, and the political echelon has concluded that a delegation will go to Cairo. The Hezbollah mouthpiece newspaper Al-Akhbar on Monday night published an alleged version of the agreement for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages the terrorists had agreed to.
Humanitarian aid will continue throughout the day on Tuesday, and trucks will make their way to the crossings. The operation is carried out in cooperation with the Egyptians who are being updated about its progress. Dozens of aid trucks for the Gaza Strip have left Jordan through the Allenby crossing Monday night. Members of bereaved families and activists from the Tzav 9 movement ambushed trucks at several intersections across the country and blocked their movement.
