IDF in control of 60-70 percent of Rafah; 2 Hamas battalions on verge of being overrun
The IDF's 162nd Division has been in combat for 255 days, since the military entered the Gaza Strip, and 40 days in Rafah, where it continues to play a key role in the war effort
The Israel Defense Forces is in control of 60 to 70 percent of Rafah, according to the military on Monday.
Military assessments estimate that two of Hamas's battalions in Rafah are on the brink of being completely subdued.
The IDF's 162nd Division has been in combat for 255 days, since the military entered the Gaza Strip, and 40 days in Rafah.
Over the past month, the forces gained operational control over the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt, and are fighting Hamas strongholds in the Shaboura and Tel Sultan neighborhoods.
Cutting off Rafah
In the first phase of Rafah operations, IDF forces launched an attack up to the Tancher route (Salah a-Din Street), captured the Rafah crossing, then moved to attack the Brazil neighborhood and established operational control.
The IDF led the enemy to believe that Israel would start in the south, when in fact it started in the northern part of Rafah.
The division secured full operational control between the Kerem Shalom crossing and the sea. In addition, 550 terrorists were identified and eliminated. The IDF says that more were likely killed, but troops were unable to identify and reach them physically.
Gazan terrorists loaded the Philadelphi Corridor with and hundreds of long-range rockets to Israel.
Thanks to the quick action by Israel, Hamas and other terrorist organizations were surprised. This allowed the Philadelphi Corridor, where the rockets were centered around, to be captured quickly by the 162nd Division without facing many mines. Thanks to the swift maneuver, the number of rockets fired toward Israel decreased significantly.
Under the ground
The division exposed more than 200 tunnel shafts, 25 tunnels, and a long underground route towards Egypt. The Engineering Corps' elite Yahalom unit is investigating the tunnels that lead toward the border with Egypt. It is still being investigated if they cross into Egypt.
The heavy price
Since the beginning of the war, 3,800 soldiers have been wounded in the 162nd Division; 180 have been killed in action. In Rafah, 22 soldiers in the division died in combat.
The fighting was planned in stages that were continuously updated in situational assessments. Division commanders keep a dialogue with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.