After close to two weeks of Rafah operation, the Israeli military has identified around 50 terror tunnels running between the Hamas-held stronghold and Egypt .
“Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, from which approximately 50 tunnels cross into Egypt,” Israeli Justice Ministry official, Dr. Gilad Noam, told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday.
Jerusalem fears that these tunnels, currently funneling weapons from Egypt into Rafah, could be used to smuggle out hostages and top terrorists as the Israeli military advances on the last Hamas bastion in Gaza.
“These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply itself with weapons and ammunition and could potentially be used to smuggle out of Gaza hostages, or Hamas senior operators,” the Israeli official added.
The ICJ, The Hague-based United Nations court, is currently conducting hearing after South Africa approached the tribunal in a bid to stop Israel from carrying out a military operation against the terrorist group Hamas in Rafah. The UN-run court is also reviewing the outrageous charge of genocide brought forward by South Africa against Israel earlier this year.
The presence of cross-border tunnel network raise questions about Egypt’s role in the conflict raging since the October 7 massacre. This may explain Cairo’s recent move to officially back South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. The fall of Hamas in Rafah could expose the vast tunnel network between terrorist-held Gaza and Egypt, a key recipient of U.S. military aid in the region.
The revelation highlights the need for a decisive Israeli operation in Rafah to cut off terrorist escape routes and destroy Hamas fighting force. Despite Biden adminstration’s pressure, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) captured the strategic Philadelphi Route separating Gaza from Egypt early in the operation and has been pushing towards the Rafah city center.
The Israeli news website YNET reported the latest revelations:
Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam called South Africa’s case, which accuses Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, “completely divorced from facts and circumstances”.”(The case) makes a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide,” Noam said. “Israel is engaged in a war it did not want and did not start. it is under attack and is fighting to defend itself and its citizens.”“Hamas has vowed to continue the atrocities of October 7 many times over. Rafah in particular is a focal point for ongoing terrorist activity. Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, from which approximately 50 tunnels cross into Egypt. These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply itself with weapons and ammunition and could potentially be used to smuggle out of Gaza hostages, or Hamas senior operators,” Noam told the court. (…)“South Africa has asked the court to order the cessation of military operation by Israel in its previous request. The court has not done so. The court is well aware that to do so would mean that 132 hostages would remain to languish in Hamas’ tunnels forsaken. It would mean that Hamas would be left unhindered and free to continue its attacks against Israeli territory and Israeli civilians. It would turn the Genocide Convention into a sword rather than a shield,” he added.
The IDF on Saturday announced the recovery of the body of another Israeli hostage murdered by Hamas. The military, assisted by the Isreali Security Agency (ISA} or Shin Bet, located the body of 62-year-old Ron Benjamin, who was kidnapped on October 7.
The recovered body is in addition to three others brought back by the IDF on Friday.
The military revealed the details of the recovery operation Saturday evening:
The IDF and ISA rescued the body of the hostage Ron BenjaminThe body of the hostage Ron Benjamin was rescued during a joint IDF and ISA operation.Based on verified intelligence in our possession, Ron Benjamin was murdered during the October 7th Massacre at the Mefalsim Intersection, and his body was abducted to Gaza by Hamas terrorists.His body was rescued along with the bodies of Yitzhak Gelernter, Shani Louk, and Amit Buskila during a joint IDF and ISA operation, based on precise ISA intelligence obtained during the interrogations of terrorists who were apprehended in the Gaza Strip, as well as intelligence from IDF Intelligence Directorate’s Headquarters for the Hostages and Missing Persons.Following an identification procedure carried out by medical officials at the Israeli National Forensic Institute and the Israel Police, IDF representatives notified the family today. The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the family.The IDF and ISA continue, even at this time, to deploy all operational and intelligence means and to take operational risks in order to accomplish the supreme national task of bringing back all the hostages.
Meanwhile, the IDF continued pounding Hamas positions in eastern Rafah. “IDF troops continue precise operations against terrorist operatives and infrastructure in eastern Rafah,” the IDF disclosed in a press release Sunday morning.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Hamas’ terrorist ally in Gaza, suffered a major blow when the IDF killed its logistics chief responsible for the Rafah stronghold.
“In coordination with IDF ground troops, an IAF aircraft struck and eliminated a significant Islamic Jihad terrorist operative who was the Head of Logistics of the Rafah Brigade in the Islamic Jihad. He was responsible for preparing the terror organization for operations against IDF ground troops in the area,” the statement added.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck dozens of terrorist targets in Rafah and across Gaza.
“The IAF continues to operate in the Gaza Strip, and struck over 70 terror targets during the past day, including weapons storage facilities, military infrastructure sites, terrorists who posed a threat to IDF troops, and military compounds,” the Israel military said.
After weeks of cross-border rocket and drone strikes into Israel from Lebanon, an Israel airstrike on Friday eliminated a senior terror commander of Jamaa Islamiya, a jihadist group allied to Hamas, based in the country. The slain terrorist, Shurahbil Ali Alsayed, was responsible for several recent terror attacks in Israel.
“Earlier today, IAF aircraft operated in the area of Majdal Anjar to eliminate the terrorist Shurahbil Ali Alsayed, a senior commander of the Jamaa Islamiya terrorist organization in Lebanon,” the IDF said in a press release late Friday. “Shurahbil promoted numerous terror attacks from Lebanon against Israel in the eastern arena recently, as well as in cooperation with Hamas’ wing in Lebanon.”
The Israeli broadcaster Arutz Sheva reported the Israeli airstrike:
IAF aircraft on Friday operated in the area of Majdal Anjar in Lebanon to eliminate terrorist Shurahbil Ali Alsayed, a senior commander of the Jamaa Islamiya terrorist organization.The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that Shurahbil promoted numerous terror attacks from Lebanon against Israel in the eastern arena recently, as well as in cooperation with Hamas’ wing in Lebanon.
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