IDF faces gunfire from militants while demolishing key Rafah tunnels

During a complex Israeli army engineering operation in the Jinaina neighbourhood of Rafah, an area that has previously seen intense ground and underground combat between the IDF and Hamas, Israeli military engineers came under fire from militants emerging from a tunnel network.

According to Israeli media, as engineers began demolishing a key section of the remaining tunnel network, militants trapped in an underground “sack” surfaced and opened fire. 

Sources familiar with the situation explained that, realising they had no escape route, the militants chose to fight above ground.

The IDF has not confirmed whether the tunnel attack was ordered by Hamas leadership in Gaza or was a desperate act by isolated militants facing imminent destruction underground. Hamas, for its part, denied involvement in the Rafah shooting and reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

In response to the violation of the ceasefire, the IDF struck multiple targets in Rafah, including buildings and tunnel entrances, with additional targets under consideration. Following consultations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to carry out immediate heavy strikes on Gaza.

The IDF Press Service reported that an Israeli reservist was killed in the attack by Palestinian militants in Rafah.

By Tamilla Hasanova