Israel says 130 ‘terrorists’ killed in southern Gaza operation
The Israeli military said today that at least 130 suspected militants have been killed in military operations in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
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The military operations were carried out by soldiers from the Givati Brigade and the 401st Combat Brigade of the 162nd Division.
The soldiers from the Givati Brigade - who reported that 80 alleged terrorists were killed - have been carrying out operations in the east of Rafah for "several weeks", having located numerous weapons, including dozens of shotguns, grenades, ammunition and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as underground tunnels.
In turn, the 162nd Division is "deepening the incursion" in the eastern part of Rafah with operations against "terrorist infrastructure" and buildings from which Hamas launches attacks against Israeli forces, in addition to having located dozens of tunnels that are already being explored and destroyed.
"The objective is to eliminate and dismantle the Rafah brigade and its capabilities", explained the commander of the 52nd Brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Hagari, stating that they are currently in the first phase, which is the "destruction of the underground".
The commander stressed that the Israeli Armed Forces will "do whatever it takes to destroy this brigade" and are "doing everything to create the conditions for the hostages to return home".
The Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip has caused more than 35 thousand deaths and nearly 80 thousand wounded in seven months, according to data from the Health Ministry of the enclave, controlled by Hamas since 2007.
The current conflict was triggered by an unprecedented Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Read Also: More than 800 thousand Palestinians have left Rafah since the beginning of the offensive (Portuguese version)
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