IDF says its forces have taken control of the Rafah border crossing
Israeli tank forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the Israeli Defense Forces said, in what it called a “precise counterterrorism operation.”
“Following intelligence that indicated that the Rafah Crossing in eastern Rafah was being used for terrorist purposes, IDF troops managed to establish operational control of the Gazan side of the crossing,” the IDF said in a statement.
The IDF did not provide evidence to immediately support the assertion, though it alleged the area around the crossing had been used to launch a mortar attack that killed four Israeli troops over the weekend.
It added that ground troops and airstrikes also targeted suspected Hamas positions in Rafah as part of the operation. “IDF ground troops are continuing to operate against Hamas terrorist operatives and infrastructure in the area of the Rafah Crossing in eastern Rafah,” the IDF said.
The Israeli army had previously warned people in eastern Rafah to evacuate into what it said was an expanded humanitarian zone.
