By Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a significant raid on a Hamas compound in Gaza on Tuesday, uncovering a hidden tunnel and a substantial cache of weapons and explosives. The operation took place in Rafah, Gaza’s last major Hamas stronghold.
The IDF released footage and images from the operation, which targeted a building allegedly used by Hamas forces to fire upon Israeli troops. According to the IDF, “dozens” of Hamas terrorists were eliminated during the raid.
In a statement, the IDF detailed the findings from the operation: “Soldiers searched a building and located many weapons including protective equipment, explosives, weapons, anti-tank missiles, equipment, and tools intended for breaching fences.” The raid further uncovered a tunnel shaft containing a warehouse stocked with short-range anti-tank missiles, grenades, weapons, and explosives intended for terrorist attacks against Israeli forces. The tunnel shaft and the weapons were subsequently destroyed.
This raid is part of Israel’s precision strikes around Rafah, an area where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had initially called for a full-scale invasion. However, the plan faced strong opposition from the United States, with President Biden threatening to withhold military aid if Netanyahu proceeded with the invasion. As a result, the IDF has limited its actions to targeted operations like the one on Tuesday.
Despite these restrained operations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC is also pursuing a warrant for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas officials. Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned the ICC’s actions as disgraceful and antisemitic. President Biden has also criticized the prosecutor and supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
A panel of three judges will decide on the issuance of the arrest warrants and whether the case will proceed. The judges typically take two months to reach such decisions.
Source: Foxnews.com
