Day 217: IDF operation in eastern Rafah, strikes on Hamas infrastructure in Gaza City

Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on Thursday in which he said, “If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” the IDF conducted a precise counterterrorism operation in eastern Rafah. 

On Thursday evening, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari also stated that the IDF has enough munitions for the missions it has planned for Rafah. 

“The IDF has armaments for the missions it is planning, including missions in Rafah. We have what we need,” Hagari said in the press briefing.

Over the past day, IDF troops located several underground tunnel shafts in the Rafah area. During close-quarters combat on the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing, soldiers eliminated several terror cells and called in an airstrike.

IDF aircraft also struck several sites located in the area of Rafah from which rockets and mortars were fired at Israel over the last few days, including the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where four soldiers were killed by mortar fire earlier in the week. 

On Friday morning, the IDF reported air raid sirens again sounded in the area of the Kerem Shalom crossing. Hamas later claimed responsibility for mortars fired in that direction. 

Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit said, “Hamas will do anything to prevent aid from reaching the people of Gaza.” 

🚨Hamas just fired at the Kerem Shalom, the main humanitarian aid crossing into Gaza.

This is the fourth time this week that Hamas actively shot at Kerem Shalom.

Hamas will do anything to prevent aid from reaching the people of Gaza.

— COGAT (@cogatonline) May 10, 2024

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs showed significant movement of Palestinians fleeing eastern Rafah over the past few days following the IDF’s instructions to civilians to evacuate to an expanded humanitarian safe zone in al-Mawasi, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. 

UNRWA also released a statement on social media saying it estimates that about 110,000 people have already evacuated Rafah ahead of an expected escalation in operations by the IDF. 

With cooperation from Israel's Security Agency (ISA), or Shin Bet, and IDF intelligence, soldiers eliminated several terrorists and dismantled terror infrastructure near Zeitoun in the central Gaza Strip. Over the past day, Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets conducted strikes on Hamas terror targets, including a structure rigged with a large number of explosives. 

The IDF struck and destroyed several anti-tank missile launchers and tunnel shafts across the Gaza Strip. 

According to the IDF, IAF fighter jets struck approximately 40 terror targets in the Gaza Strip, including military structures, observation posts, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure over the past day. 

The strikes mark a significant escalation in IDF operations in Gaza, which had been largely paused over the past month as Israel allowed time for potential breakthroughs in hostage negotiations.

After those talks collapsed, the IDF resumed strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza and began “precise” operations in the southern town of Rafah, where Hamas battalions have a major stronghold.