IDF says 11 Hamas members killed, 6 detained after trying to flee Rafah tunnel

The Israeli army said on Saturday that its forces had killed 11 Hamas members and arrested six others during a daylong operation targeting what it described as “underground infrastructure” in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire.

According to the Times of Israel, troops said the arrests took place as operatives attempted to flee from a Hamas tunnel in an IDF-held area. A military statement noted that soldiers “located and apprehended additional members who attempted to flee from the underground infrastructure,” marking the end of what it called “a 24-hour pursuit”.

Pursuit triggered by tunnel emergence

The military said the operation began on Friday when 17 operatives emerged from a tunnel in eastern Rafah, an area where dozens of Hamas members are believed to be holed up underground, and attempted to return to Hamas-held areas of the Strip. According to the IDF, six were killed in airstrikes shortly after exiting the tunnel, and five were captured by troops of the Nahal Brigade.

On Saturday, Nahal soldiers opened fire in two separate incidents and killed five more operatives, before detaining the final suspect. The army said the six detainees were transferred to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency for questioning. Hamas has not commented on the Israeli claims.

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Operation unfolds within ceasefire zone

The latest announcement followed the army’s statement a day earlier that it had killed five Palestinians who surfaced from a tunnel in Rafah on Friday, saying they posed an “immediate threat” to forces operating in the south of the enclave. Rafah lies inside zones held by Israeli troops under the “yellow line” arrangements introduced with the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.

Israeli media report that about 200 Hamas fighters are trapped in the Rafah tunnel, with Israel rejecting appeals from Hamas and mediators for safe passage to areas under the group’s control.

Many killed in Gaza

Gaza’s civil defence agency said 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes on Saturday, as Hamas and Israel again exchanged accusations of breaching the fragile ceasefire.
It was one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas began on October 10, following two years of war.
The Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” had crossed the so-called Yellow Line inside the Gaza Strip, behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn, and had fired at Israeli soldiers.