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Israel Says Rafah Attack near Completion

(Washington Post) Steve Hendrix - Six weeks after it defied its allies and attacked Rafah, Israel is close to achieving its goals in the Gaza city it says was Hamas's final stronghold, according to Israeli officials and analysts. This raises the possibility that months of major military operations might soon give way to a new, less-intense phase of the conflict. A complete end to the war is not in sight. Hamas still holds Israeli hostages. The Israel Defense Forces said it has destroyed most of Hamas's 24 battalions, but lone fighters and small groups are still launching rockets into Israel and targeting troops in areas of Gaza under Israel's control. What comes next is a slower-tempo, targeted campaign of raids to keep Hamas from regrouping. Those mop-up operations will be carried out by a smaller number of Israeli troops, according to Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former director general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry. "They are getting closer and closer to finishing major operations, and then we move to Phase 3," Kuperwasser said. "Rafah was critical. Things are going to change. But it's not the end of the war."
2024-06-20 00:00:00
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