Reserve forces from the 12th Brigade Combat Team finished their mission in southern Gaza Friday morning after months of intensive operations to clear the area. During the operation IDF forces a special engineering unit destroyed eight underground routes totaling more than 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles). The operation focused on terror infrastructure networks in eastern Rafah, where terrorists hiding deep underground were located and eliminated.
The engineering and operational activity of the Negev Brigade under the Gaza Division command peaked with the destruction of a central tunnel network in eastern Rafah. According to the military, Hamas terrorists who had been staying in these routes in recent months were eliminated during proactive engineering operations by forces inside the underground routes.
With the mission complete, these reserve fighters are finishing their seventh tour of duty since the war began. The Paratroopers Brigade Combat Team will take over responsibility for the sector and continue operational activity in the southern Strip.
The 12th Brigade’s operation is part of an ongoing effort by Southern Command to dismantle Hamas’s underground terror capabilities, with emphasis on the Rafah area considered one of the organization’s last strongholds. The length of the destroyed routes—over 2.5 kilometers—indicates the scale of Hamas’s investment in this infrastructure.
Striking them paralyzes the organization’s command and control capability in the eastern part of the city. The terrorists were eliminated during the destruction of the routes, pointing to precise intelligence and engineering work that enables hitting the enemy without the need for dangerous physical entry into each tunnel.
The mission’s completion is taking place under the ceasefire framework, but the new force deployment proves the IDF is working to preserve operational achievements and maintain readiness for rapid response to any violation of the ceasefire.