TEL AVIV, May 16. /TASS/. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said additional troops will join the Rafah operation in southern Gaza.

"Additional troops will join the ground operation in Rafah. Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed," he said in a statement released by his office.

Gallant made the statement after travelling to an area near Rafah on May 15 to assess the situation.

"I'm in the Rafah area. <...> All our troops are doing an outstanding job. Hundreds of targets have already been hit and our units are maneuvering in the area," Gallant said. "This operation will continue with additional forces that will enter."

"More tunnels will soon be destroyed, and this activity will intensify," the minister said.

He said Hamas will not be able to reorganize because "it has no reserve troops, no stockpiles or supplies."

"We are wearing down Hamas," he stated.

When he traveled to the Rafah area, Gallant held a meeting with military commanders at the headquarters of the 162nd Division that is operating in Rafah, his office said.

On May 6, the Israel Defense Forces said it had begun preparations to evacuate people from eastern Rafah. On May 7, the IDF said it started a military operation in Rafah and took control of the Rafah border crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt.