It has been more than 250 days since the October 7th attacks, and Israel continues to face a multi-front war.

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Rafah

In Gaza, Israel cleared an estimated 30-40% of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city where Hamas has retreated. Prior predictions claimed that the evacuation of civilians in Rafah would cost many civilian lives and take months to carry out. However, the IDF has successfully evacuated nearly one million Palestinians out of Rafah, many of whom are in safe locations and some returning to homes in Khan Younis. This leaves an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 civilians in the area. The IDF is actively assisting the evacuation of the remaining locals in Rafah.

 

As the IDF continues operations, the military has found at least four bodies that were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. During one operation in Rafah, the IDF located and decimated an entire building of terrorists including: a major weapons cache, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and ammunition supply. This operation led to the discovery of a major network of tunnels where the IDF engaged in combat with terrorists, eliminating dozens, and securing the area. In a recent statement, the IDF announced that they had eliminated more than 130 Hamas operatives in eastern Rafah.

 

Israeli intelligence suggests that Hamas leadership and a vast amount of operatives remain in Rafah as well as the many remaining hostages from October 7. Hamas’ missile depot is also located in Rafah or Southern Gaza. This continues to pose a threat to central Israel.

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Four Hostages Rescued

During a recent operation, the Israeli military rescued four living hostages who were held in Gaza: Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv. They were all held by Hamas since October 7th when they were abducted from the Nova festival in Reim, Israel. Although the operation resulted in the loss of Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, the operation reportedly ran smoothly despite a fire fight that ensued during the hostage rescue.

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Hamas Launching Rockets

Hamas terrorists recently launched five rockets into Southern Israel with the intent to harm an Israeli military base. Furthermore, the terrorists operated their rocket launch out of one of the humanitarian zones that has been designated to protect Gazan civilians. The IDF responded that this act was “a further example of the cynical exploitation of humanitarian infrastructure and the civilian population as human shields by terror organizations in the Gaza Strip for their terrorist attacks.”

 

Philadelphi Corridor 

Inside the operation of the Philadelphi corridor, the IDF confirmed dozens of tunnel shafts with “a number of significant underground routes” in eastern Rafah. It appears that the tunnel shafts pass into Egypt signifying Egyptian complicity. Multiple outlets report that there are an estimated 50 tunnels Hamas used to smuggle weapons from Egypt to Gaza.

 

Northern Threat from Lebanese Hezbollah

Since October 8, Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy Shiite terrorist organization fully entrenched in Southern Lebanon, has been engaged with Israel in a low-intensity conflict. Hezbollah has fired antitank weapons and short-range rockets at Israel, and the IDF retaliates by bombing Hezbollah infrastructure and, every so often, has taken out a Hezbollah operative. 

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As a result of Hezbollah aggression, the Israeli government and the IDF have encouraged over 100,000 Israelis living near the Lebanese border to evacuate from their homes. Since October 8, these people have been displaced, living in hotels or with relatives dispersed around the country. For all intents and purposes, the Northern Galilee has become a de facto security zone. 

 

USIEA continues to educate Members of Congress on Israel’s multifront threat. Since October 7th, USIEA has mobilized to educate over 60 members of Congress on timely information that is not offered elsewhere. USIEA has also been represented at local town hall meetings, events with Jewish organizations, and the March for Israel in Washington, DC. USIEA is the first nonprofit to pioneer privately sponsored bipartisan Congressional tours through the West Bank, offering Members of Congress firsthand experience to better inform their policy decisions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. USIEA has led eight Congressional tours to Israel and the West Bank, including a tour this past April during wartime.