Israel’s military operation in Rafah nears its end: Report

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army is close to ending its ground offensive in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to local media on Thursday.

Defying international warnings, Tel Aviv launched its ground attack on Rafah on May 6, with its army capturing the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a vital route to humanitarian aid into the blockaded enclave.

“The army continues to advance in Rafah and the operation is about to end,” Israeli Channel 12 said.

The Israeli army began to build a route along the Philadelphi Corridor, the broadcaster said.

“This will make it possible for the army to return there in the future after its forces leave the area,” it added.

The Israeli channel said the Israeli army’s 162nd Division is about to defeat the Hamas brigade in Rafah.

“After Rafah, the 162nd Division will move to the northern front (Lebanon border), and a smaller force will be deployed to operate in the buffer zone along the Philadelphi Corridor," it added.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

More than 37,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 86,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala