The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced late on Monday night, May 6, that it conducted its first strikes against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gazan city of Rafah.
“The IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza,” the IDF posted on X.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli army is “now attacking and operating against the targets of the terrorist organisation Hamas in a targeted manner in Mizrah Rafah.”
Taking to Instagram, Palestinian journalist Hani al-Shaer shared a video showing flares fired by the Israeli army over eastern Rafah and captioned it saying, “Intensely light bombs from Israeli artillery east of Rafah city.”
This comes in less than 24 hours after the IDF dropped leaflets telling Palestinians to evacuate Rafah.
The order sparked fears of Israel’s imminent assault on Rafah, prompting over one million Palestinians to flee to the city, where Hamas is believed to have regrouped.
According to Israel, Rafah is home to numerous Hamas fighters, causing conflict since October 7, resulting in 1,200 casualties.
