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Four IDF soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in what appeared to be a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Thursday. According to the IDF, the blast occurred around 9:15 am local time in Rafah’s Jneina neighborhood.
IDF soldiers killed while clearing militant hideouts
The IDF troops on two Humvees were clearing suspected militant hideouts when one of the vehicles triggered the explosive. The deceased were members of the Dekel Battalion of the officers’ training school, known as Bahad 1, which has been operating in Gaza for the past three weeks. The unit had already engaged in three encounters with militants earlier in the morning, officials said.
According to Israeli media reports, while Rafah has been largely cleared of Hamas, the IDF believes several dozen more operatives could still be there, mostly in the Jenina area.
Gun and knife attack near Jordan border
On Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were also killed in a gun and knife attack at the Allenby Crossing near the West Bank on the Jordanian border.
Allenby Bridge Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. (Photo: AP)
According to the IDF, the attacker, who was driving a truck carrying aid from Jordan, first opened fire at people near the crossing. He got out of the vehicle and stabbed two people after his handgun apparently jammed. The attacker was later neutarlsied by security personnel at the crossing.
Initially, it was reported that the two people killed at Allenby Crossing were civilians, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that they were combat soldiers.
IDF wants halt of aid through Allenby Crossing
Following the gun and knife attack, the IDF has recommended a temporary halt of the transport of Gaza-bound aid through the Allenby Crossing.
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The military says the aid coming through the border crossing, which links Jordan to the Israel-controlled West Bank, should be halted until an investigation is completed.
Allenby Crossing is a crucial link between Jordan and the West Bank, as it is the only route through which limited aid is entering the Gaza Strip.
While no groups have claimed responsibility for either of the attacks, they come at a time when the Israeli military is pushing forward with the ground offensive in Gaza City.
Internet, communication cut off across Gaza
Israeli tanks were seen in two Gaza City areas that are gateways to the city centre on Thursday, while internet and phone lines were cut off across the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs and, in recent days, have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western areas where most of the population is sheltering.
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Palestinians search for wood to sell or use for cooking amid the rubble of a building from which thousands of artifacts were removed before being destroyed in an Israeli military strike in Gaza City. (Photo: AP)
The Palestinian Telecommunications Company said in a statement that its services had been cut off “due to the ongoing aggression and the targeting of the main network routes”.
The Israeli military said its troops were expanding their operations in Gaza City, dismantling what it called “terror infrastructure” and “eliminating terrorists”, and continuing to operate in Khan Younis and Rafah in the south. Israel says it wants to smash the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its strongholds and free the last hostages still being held in Gaza, but its latest major offensive after two years of devastating war has drawn international condemnation.
At least 79 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, most in Gaza City.
