Hamas terrorists surrender to Israeli forces in Rafah

Israeli forces apprehended Hamas terrorists who surrendered in the Shaboura neighborhood of Rafah, according to military footage released Tuesday.

Among those captured were a Hamas platoon commander who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and was involved in the holding of Israeli hostages, as well as a sniper unit commander. Several knives were reportedly found in their possession.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) obtained significant intelligence during the subsequent interrogations, including the location of a major Hamas terror site in the area.

The arrests came after the IDF completed its encirclement of Rafah several weeks ago. Military operations in the city are ongoing and are expected to expand into additional neighborhoods.

To date, the 188th Brigade’s combat team has eliminated dozens of terrorists and uncovered and destroyed multiple Hamas weapons caches and other infrastructure.

Likud MK Tally Gotliv on Tuesday expressed frustration over stalled hostage negotiations and voiced support for the government’s recent military decisions.

“The Israeli government gave Hamas every opportunity to return all of our hostages, both living and deceased,” Gotliv told JNS. “But Hamas has entrenched itself in cruelty and rejected every proposal put forward during the negotiations.”

She welcomed the Cabinet’s recent decision to expand military operations in Gaza, calling it “timely.”

“The vote came not only in response to the intensification of military action against our enemy but also as a step toward enforcing military rule, including the occupation of areas in Gaza,” she said. “This is the way to subdue the murderous terrorist organization Hamas and to secure the return of all our hostages.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that the IDF operation in Gaza will intensify, and Israeli forces will remain in every area they capture.

“We decided on intensified action in Gaza,” the premier said. “That was the IDF chief of staff’s recommendation—to move, as he said, toward the defeat of Hamas. He believes this will also help us rescue the hostages. I agree with him.

“We are not letting up on this effort and will not give up on anyone,” he continued.

He added that, unlike in past wars, the military would station reserve forces in territories seized during fighting. “There will be movement of the population in order to protect them,” Netanyahu said.

On Tuesday, Gotliv also leveled sharp criticism at Qatar, which has acted as a mediator in previous hostage deals.

“In my opinion, Qatar is a country that supports terrorism and exploits people as though they were property,” she said. “It was clear to me from the first hostage deal that Qatar’s involvement would wane, as its main interest was gaining international recognition.”

Yesh Atid lawmaker Karine Elharrar told JNS on Monday that the “most important priority right now is to bring all the hostages home.

“At this moment, both to save the hostages and to save the economy, the war must be brought to an end and a deal secured for the release of all captives,” Elharrar said.

Israel’s Security Cabinet voted unanimously on Sunday night to expand the IDF offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The approved plans include “occupying Gaza and holding on to the territory,” as well as “powerful strikes” on Palestinian terrorists, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office told reporters.

The ministers also approved plans to possibly resume aid to the coastal enclave through an international fund that would seek to prevent the supplies from being looted by Hamas.