by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In a significant development, Israel has taken control of the Philadelphi Corridor, cutting off Gaza-to-Egypt terror tunnels. This corridor, considered an “oxygen line” for Hamas, is now under Israeli “operational control,” stated IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. Israeli forces have uncovered 20 tunnels beneath the 8.7-mile-long border area.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari stated Wednesday, “Our operations in Rafah have confirmed the intelligence that compelled us to operate in Rafah in the first place. Hamas turned the Philadelphi route into a central Hamas hotbed of terror. We have now gained operational control over the Philadelphi route in Rafah.”
“Hamas exploited the Philadelphi Corridor, using it to build this infrastructure just dozens of meters from the border with Egypt so that we would not strike them,” said Hagari. “This infrastructure was located between 10 and 40 meters from the border, specifically so that Israel would not strike near the fence with Egypt. I remind you that in recent weeks, Hamas has fired about 70 rockets and mortars from the Rafah area.”
Over the last 23 days of fighting in eastern Rafah, Israeli troops discovered a nearly eight-mile subterranean tunnel network comprising about 20 tunnels filled with explosives, grenades, and AK-47s. Hagari stated that Hamas is also holding hostages in this network.
This underground infrastructure, was used to launch attacks against the IDF, and included living quarters and stashes of weaponry like Kalashnikov rifles and anti-tank missiles. One of the shafts was built just 100 meters from the Rafah crossing, a key entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
”Hamas is in Rafah. Hamas has been holding our hostages in Rafah, which is why our forces are operating in Rafah. Hamas is holding our hostages in living hell across our border in Gaza, including in Rafah. We will not stop fighting for their freedom,” Hagari stated.
The IDF is carefully limiting its actions to specific areas in Rafah to avoid provoking the Biden administration, which has repeatedly warned Israel against a large-scale military operation in Hamas’ last stronghold in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. concern has primarily been the danger to innocent civilians. However, the IDF has successfully facilitated the evacuation of over a million Gazans to safe zones, where they can access food, water, shelter, and medical aid.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Newly declassified FBI records released by the White House detail what officials describe as a years-long Chinese intelligence effort to penetrate American political circles through sexual relationships, campaign donations, and strategically placed interns.
President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is considering a significant overhaul of its Gaza disarmament framework after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a plan that would have linked Hamas weapons handovers to phased Israeli troop withdrawals, according to an exclusive report by The Times of Israel.
Iran’s rulers were quietly preparing for a broader and potentially prolonged Middle East war even as Tehran publicly engaged in diplomatic efforts with the United States, according to an exclusive investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced Sunday that he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” military exercises with key regional ally South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to assist Washington in its confrontation with Iran.
Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia recovered six more bodies Sunday following a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake, raising the death toll to at least 53 as Christians prayed for victims and rescuers struggled to reach isolated communities.
The U.S. Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Christianity and Western civilization this fall in the schools it operates for military families, while casting Islam as a threat to both.
New York’s Jewish community was reeling Sunday as a judge ordered a man held on bail after prosecutors said he admitted to disrupting Shabbat services at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and assaulting two people there.