TEL AVIV, May 19. /TASS/. The Israeli military killed about 50 terrorists during an ongoing operation in the eastern city of Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson's Unit reported.

According to the unit, the IDF 401st Division is "reinforcing the operation" on the eastern outskirts of Rafah. Soldiers are conducting pinpoint raids against terrorist infrastructure and buildings from which Hamas terrorists opened fire on military personnel. During the operation, fighters eliminated about 50 terrorists and discovered dozens of tunnels that they intend to destroy. To date, hundreds of terrorist infrastructure facilities have been destroyed, including places where weapons were produced and launchers were ready for use, the army press service said.

The situation in the Middle East escalated sharply on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza-based Hamas radical Palestinian movement staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and seniors. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.