IDF forces overnight Motzei Shabbos fired a Zik drone and eliminated the commander of the East Rafah Battalion, Muhammad Buab, and his deputy, Ismail Abu‑Labda, who led one of the terrorist squads that infiltrated Israel on the morning of the October 7th massacre.
A Hamas company commander and another terrorist were also killed in the strike.
The eliminations came after IDF forces carried out heavy strikes on the underground compound where 24 terrorists were holed up. Four terrorists escaped during the strike, among them the battalion commander and his deputy. According to IDF assessments, the other 20 terrorists were killed.
Over the past week, about 20 terrorists who tried to escape from the tunnel in Rafah were killed. Eight others surrendered and were transferred for interrogation in Israel. Security officials note that food and water supplies in the tunnels have dwindled and the terrorists are desperate, prompting the recent wave of escape attempts.
In total, over 44 terrorists attempting to escape from the tunnels in southern Gaza have been killed in the area in the past month.
According to a Ynet report, the tunnel system in this area is highly complex, and the terrorists who remained after the ceasefire—including the Rafah sector commander—had prepared for an extended stay. But as time passed and the IDF tightened its cordon, their supplies depleted and they were forced to surface, where IDF forces intercepted them.
One captured terrorist recounted that he was inside a tunnel with a Hamas battalion commander, about 30 terrorists, and the bodies of around 10 terrorists. He added that those who attempted to escape had gone out searching for food and water.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
