Israel Declares Complete Encirclement Of Gaza Strip

The Israeli forces discovered about 20 tunnels leading to Egypt.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has taken “operational control” of the entire border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

According to him, a 14-kilometer stretch of territory, also known as the “Philadelphia route,” served as “an oxygen pipeline for Hamas.” Along a corridor adjacent to the southern city of Rafah, the Israeli military discovered about 20 tunnels leading into Egypt. They are believed to have been used by the IDF to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. It was possible to get into these tunnels with the help of 82 mines.

Dozens of rocket launchers were also found on the border. Hamas placed them dozens of meters from the Egyptian border "so that Israel would not strike at the fence with Egypt," Hagari explained. At the same time, according to him, in recent weeks alone, about 70 rockets have been fired at Israel from Rafah.

At the moment, the Israeli ground forces have occupied most of the corridor. A small area near the coast, where there is no Israeli manpower, is controlled by the IDF through surveillance and firepower.

In early May, the Israeli army launched a ground operation in Rafah. The IDF said it carried out "pinpoint strikes" on targets in the eastern part of the city and destroyed Hamas infrastructure and underground tunnels.

The Israeli authorities explained the need for the operation in Rafah by the fact that four of the six surviving Hamas battalions are sheltering there, as well as holding Israeli hostages abducted during the group's attack on Israel on October 7.