Rafah is one of the largest cities in the Gaza Strip, located on its far southern end on the border with Egypt.
The city is the site of the Rafah border crossing, the only entry and exit point out of Gaza and into Egypt, compared to the other border crossings that go into Israel.
Rafah is partially divided, with part of the city being located on the Egyptian side of the border. A network of smuggling tunnels run beneath the city and crossing in an attempt to circumvent the blockade around Gaza.
Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, insisted that their release would still be contingent on a deal.
Gershon Baskin, who oversaw negotiation in the 2011 Schalit deal, described the situation as "a moment of opportunity or doom."
After seeing drone footage of Sinwar’s elimination on Ibn Sena Street in Rafah, southern Gaza, Taha reportedly recognized the home he evacuated in May.
The IDF and IAF eliminated a number of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, destroyed weapon storage facilities and struck tunnel shafts.
During the searches conducted by soldiers after an operation in Rafah, the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was discovered.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Rafah • No hostages killed in unplanned op • 5 soldiers killed in Lebanon
Following intelligence reports, the Nahal Brigade directed an airstrike on a building where a terrorist cell was preparing an attack, successfully preventing the assault.
According to the IDF, it will continue to operate in the Rafah area after eliminating 15 terrorists over the last week.
The terrorists killed were members of the rocket division, the weapons division, and the intelligence division.
As a result of the crash, Warrant Officer (res.) Daniel Alloush, and Warr. Ofc. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, both serving in Unit 669, were killed.
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