Israel begins ground operation in Hamas stronghold of Rafah, expands activities in Gaza

Israeli forces began military ground operations in Gaza, particularly the Hamas stronghold of Rafah in an effort to degrade the terror group’s infrastructure, authorities said Thursday. 

The Israel Defense Forces said a ground operation was taking place in the ‘Shavura’ neighborhood, as well as parts of central and northern Gaza. 

‘In recent hours, IDF forces began a ground operation in the area of ​​the ‘Shavura’ neighborhood in Rafah,’ the IDF wrote on X. ‘As part of the operation, the forces destroyed several terrorist infrastructures.’

In recent months, Hamas terrorists exploited a site in northern Gaza, which previously served as the ‘Turkish’ hospital, as a command and control center, from which they directed and carried out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israel.

In response, IDF troops operated to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure at the site.

Furthermore, over the past few hours, the Israeli air force has continued to target and dismantle terrorists and terrorist infrastructure throughout Gaza.

Israel resumed military operations against Hamas this week following a short-lived ceasefire after it said the terror group repeatedly rebuffed offers to release the remaining hostages it took on Oct. 7, 2023. 

The IDF also struck a military site containing an underground terrorist infrastructure site in the Beqaa area in Lebanon, as well as another site with rocket launchers in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah terrorists actively operate. 

On Thursday night, siens blared across a number of areas following a projectile launched from Yemen, the IDF said. 

Sen. John Fetterman, who visited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, posted a video on X as the sirens went off. 

‘Incoming rocket sirens sounding off in Israel,’ he wrote. ‘Imagine living under these conditions. Imagine being the Members of Congress voting against what protects Israel from this.’

A holy site for Christians, Muslims and Jews also came under fire from Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have attached commercial shipping in the Red Sea and U.S. naval forces in solidarity with Hamas, the IDF said. 

Authorities also announced the deaths of Hamas senior leaders and another from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.