Israeli forces find Hamas weapons near former school, hospital in Rafah

TEL AVIV: The Israeli military’s “Iron Fist” Brigade continued its operational activity in Rafah, where its soldiers located weapons caches 80 meters from a former school and 100 meters from a former hospital, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

“The terrorist organization Hamas cynically uses civilian spaces for terrorist activity,” the IDF said. The military also released photographs and graphics illustrating the proximity of the weapons to civilian buildings.

In the past week, the brigade has destroyed terror infrastructures above and below ground and eliminated dozens of terrorists in the area of the southern Gaza city.

During the weekend, the Israeli Air Force struck more than 100 terror targets including tunnels and underground facilities, the IDF also said.

In northern Gaza, soldiers uncovered weapons caches and dismantled Hamas infrastructure, while in southern Gaza, forces operated in Rafah and along the ‘Morag’ corridor, targeting terrorists by air and ground.

The IDF announced Saturday night it would be mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists to bolster its ongoing operations. Many of these reservists have already been called up multiple times during the war. Reinforcements are expected to arrive throughout the coming week. The Israeli security cabinet was scheduled to meet Sunday to vote on the military’s new operational plans.

Currently, three IDF divisions are deployed in Gaza, with operations aimed at pressuring Hamas into agreeing to a hostage deal. Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that without progress on a hostage agreement, a major offensive would be launched into additional areas of Gaza.

At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead. (ANI/TPS)