Four IDF soldiers were wounded Wednesday — one seriously and three moderately — after terrorists emerged from a tunnel and opened fire on Golani reconnaissance forces operating in eastern Rafah, the military said. The soldiers were evacuated for treatment and their families were notified. At least two terrorists were killed in the attack, with a manhunt for the others underway.
The encounter took place hours after Israel received a coffin containing the remains of a hostage from the Red Cross in northern Gaza. Artillery fire and exchanges of gunfire were also reported in Rafah by Gaza-based media, underscoring the volatility on the ground as efforts to advance to the next phase of the ceasefire remain stalled.
The IDF said Southern Command forces remain deployed according to the ceasefire framework “and will continue acting to remove any immediate threat.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said the Rafah crossing would reopen in the coming days for Gazans seeking to exit to Egypt, pending political authorization. The move required approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had delayed it in recent weeks amid stalled hostage returns. Hours later, Egypt denied the announcement, saying the crossing would open in both directions only once a new agreement is finalized.
Inside Rafah, large numbers of terrorists remain in the tunnel network, and Israeli forces are continuing efforts to encircle them, eliminate them or bring them in for questioning. Palestinian sources reported this week that among those killed in Rafah’s tunnels was Abdullah Hamad, son of Hamas political bureau member Ghazi Hamad, a participant in the group’s negotiating team. Additional reports said that along with the commander of Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion, Abu Ahmad al-Bawwab — long believed by Israel to have been killed — Ismail Abu Labda (Abu Hudhayfa) was also eliminated. Abu Labda had been filmed overseeing staged “hostage release ceremonies” during transfers to the Red Cross
After weeks of entrenchment and incremental IDF advances through the underground network, some terrorists have begun seeking new hiding places — some attempting to flee the area, others preparing suicide attacks. The IDF continues close surveillance of the tunnel system using a wide range of intelligence assets; some terrorists have been eliminated from the air, while others have been captured and taken for interrogation.
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