Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Wednesday that the IDF has dismantled the last functioning brigade of Hamas in the Rafah area. “I came here first and foremost to express my appreciation [to the soldiers]. The Rafah brigade was defeated by the IDF’s Division 162,” Gallant said at the Philadelphi Corridor, a key 8.7-mile-long buffer zone along the Egyptian border. Following their taking control of the corridor, the IDF has uncovered and destroyed 150 terror tunnels that were used by Hamas to smuggle weapons and materials from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Gaza. Gallant instructed the military to complete the task of destroying any remaining tunnels. “I gave an immediate directive to the IDF to destroy the remaining tunnels,” he said. “It is critical to remember the goals of the war and to achieve them—regarding Hamas, regarding the hostages [held by Hamas], and we also understand why we are looking toward the north.” Gallant also detailed the method used by Hamas to build the tunnels, noting that around 100 of the tunnels were shallow trenches, dug using engineering tools and later covered with dirt. The defeat of the Rafah brigade, which consisted of four battalions stationed in various parts of Rafah, is seen as a key milestone in the war that began on October 7 with Hamas’s large-scale invasion of southern Israel. This brigade’s elimination marks the collapse of Hamas’s final functioning brigade, according to Israeli military assessments. The operation to defeat the Rafah brigade was led by Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen and his 162nd Division. In total, since the beginning of the conflict, the IDF has killed more than 17,000 terrorists in the Gaza Strip, according to IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. “IDF forces continue to fight in Gaza—maneuvering in Rafah, Khan Yunis, the central Strip and are attacking everywhere,” Hagari said. “So far, we have eliminated more than 17,000 terrorists. The significant combat and the ensuing high accomplishments impede Hamas’s ability to raise its head again and rebuild itself, and we are determined to keep this up.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)