Footage taken by Israel Defense Forces troops during Tuesday morning’s capture of Gaza’s Rafah Crossing with Egypt shows a tank crushing an “I heart Gaza sign” before raising the flag of the Jewish state.
The IDF took control of the Gaza side of the crossing as tanks from the 401st Armored Brigade of the 162nd Division rolled right up to the site.
Other clips shared by IDF soldiers show tanks ramming into a “Gaza” sign at the crossing and raising a large Israeli flag along the Philadelphi Corridor, the 8.7-mile-long border area between Gaza and Egypt.
In his first official comments on the operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night noted that, “within hours, our forces raised Israeli flags at the Rafah Crossing and took down the Hamas banners.”
“Seizing the Rafah Crossing is a very significant step towards destroying the remaining military capabilities of Hamas, including the elimination of the four terrorist battalions in Rafah, and an important step to damage the governmental capabilities of Hamas,” added the premier.