Hamas
Ahmed Ali masterminded attacks that targeted IDF soldiers operating in the central Netzarim Corridor.
The families also urged the Red Cross to advocate for the immediate release of those held in Gaza.
CIA Director William Burns first met with Mossad head David Barnea.
The crossing was shuttered after four soldiers were killed in a Hamas rocket attack on Sunday.
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck over 100 targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
The IDF spokesperson also downplayed the Biden administration’s confirmation that it blocked an arms shipment to Israel.
A senior official cited concerns that the weapons could be used in densely populated parts of Gaza’s Rafah city.
The move limits Hamas’s smuggling efforts, and also demonstrates that Israel is not deterred by international pressure.
Other clips shared by soldiers show tanks ramming into a “Gaza” sign and raising the Israeli flag along the Philadelphi Corridor.
“Seizing the Rafah Crossing is a very significant step towards destroying the remaining military capabilities of Hamas,” said the premier.
“We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli and the Palestinian people,” said a State Department spokesperson.
“It is Israel’s absolute right and duty to protect itself and its citizens from terrorist organizations and take out and destroy the evil that is Hamas once and for all,” Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said.
