Israel’s military has said that its troops have defeated about half of the Hamas forces in Gaza’s Rafah.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), soldiers from the 162nd Division, which has been fighting in Rafah for more than 40 days, have killed about “550 militants in the city, while 22 Israeli soldiers lost their lives during the battles.
Two of the four Hamas battalions in Rafah are “on the verge of being defeated”, the army said, adding that ground battles are still ongoing against the other two battalions.
The Israeli forces gained “operational control” over the entire area between Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, according to the army.