(RepublicanReport.org) – In October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 Israeli citizens, kidnapping hundreds, and terrorizing the nation. The act also started a war that has largely played out in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 36,000 innocent Palestinians — and climbing. Recently, all eyes have been on Rafah as the Israeli military zeroed in on the area filled with Palestinian civilians. However, once there, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) made a startling discovery.
On June 7, the IDF released a statement revealing that soldiers found a hidden entrance to a Hamas tunnel inside a child’s bedroom in Rafah. The organization said the soldiers also found weapons and terrorists in the region “over the past few weeks.” The mission in Rafah was described as “targeted,” seemingly staying on the safe side of President Joe Biden’s red line.
Specifically, the IDF troops found a “butcher’s knife” next to the tunnel entryway and “six terrorists near a school.” The tunnel was destroyed, and the IDF also took out a complex reportedly used by Hamas — a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) compound. Reports by the Hamas-run government media stated that at least 35 people were killed during the strike at a school within the compound, with The Times of Israel describing it as a “massacre.”
While the report seemed to imply that some civilians allegedly sheltering there were killed, a spokesperson from the Israeli government said its forces were precise and planned out to attack only specific rooms used by Hamas.
According to the IDF announcement, the 828th Brigade Combat Team “completed its mission” in Rafah and will now be moving forward with other operations. The Israeli military made sure to announce that it minimized “the risk of harming uninvolved civilians” by using surveillance and intelligence before striking. That is the step the US demanded from its ally — to be precise in its planning and reduce the chance of injuring or killing any more civilians in Rafah.
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