Israel ‘seizing city of Rafah' in new Gaza offensive
If confirmed, it would mark the first time the IDF has taken a major city within its defensive perimeter, essentially creating an Israeli military enclave 3 miles (4.8km) deep into the Strip.
The operation follows heavy aerial bombardments and repeated warnings to civilians to evacuate, although relatively few incidents of fighting on the ground.
Israeli media has reported that defence officials were considering whether to fully demolish all buildings in the southern sector, where Rafah is located.
They have done this in other parts of the buffer zone. A report by the UN Satellite Centre last April estimated that 90 per cent of the buildings within the fortified area had been destroyed or damaged.
However, this would be the first time an entire Palestinian city would be effectively erased.
The Israeli government says its renewed Gaza operation is intended to place Hamas under maximum pressure in order to secure the release of the remaining hostages, 34 of whom are thought to be alive.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has previously warned that Israel would seize tracts of territory in Gaza if the terror group failed to release the captives. Meanwhile, Israel Katz, the defence minister, said on Wednesday the IDF's 'great achievements' during the renewed fighting were bringing Hamas closer to another deal.
However, groups supporting hostage families have expressed extreme distress at the resumption of hostilities.
Rafah is located between the border with Egypt, which was previously controlled by Israel via a narrow strip of land called the Philadelphi Corridor, and a newly created east-west 'Morag Corridor', just south of the city of Khan Younis.
Around 200,000 Palestinians lived there before the war.
Incorporating the city and its surrounding neighbourhoods into a no-go buffer zone would essentially decrease the size of the Strip available to civilians by 20 per cent.
It follows significant increases in the depth of the buffer zone around much of the enclave, from a distance of approximately 800 metres before Oct 7 2023 to 1 mile (1.5km).
Israel says this is to protect its troops and Israeli civilians living nearby from a repeat attack.
On Wednesday, Haaretz reported an anonymous defence official as saying it was yet to be decided whether the entire area would be fully cleared of all buildings.
The IDF is reportedly taking a 'low-risk' approach as it advances into neighbourhoods potentially controlled by Hamas, preferring to demolish buildings rather than send in troops and risk booby traps.
Despite hundreds of air strikes, which Israel says has killed more than 40 Hamas officials and mid-level commanders, there have been only sparse reports of fighting on the ground.
IDF strategists reportedly believe that Hamas still has 20,000 militants in the Strip – about half the number before the war – but most are choosing not to fight, potentially ahead of a large future battle.
The IDF has not said whether Rafah will be incorporated into a buffer zone or whether its buildings will be demolished.
A spokesman said: 'As part of implementing the defence strategy and in accordance with the directives of the political echelon, the IDF is destroying terrorist infrastructure, strengthening defence components in communities, maintaining a broad military presence in the security zone adjacent to Israel, and working to remove threats in the area.
'These actions are essential in order to prevent Hamas and other terrorist organisations from operating in the area while ensuring the security of IDF forces and Israeli communities.'
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