Israel SitRep: May 6, 2024

Today’s Issue: Hamas Attacks Main Humanitarian Aid Crossing, Killing Four IDF Soldiers | Israel Begins Evacuating Eastern Neighborhoods in Rafah, Preparing for Ground Operation | IAF Fighter Jets Attack Hamas Command and Control Center in UNRWA Compound | Israeli Aid Coordinator: International Organizations Say Situation in Northern Gaza Improving, Ask to Reduce Aid

Hamas Attacks Main Humanitarian Aid Crossing, Killing Four IDF Soldiers: On Sunday, Hamas shot about 10 rockets toward the area of the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main route through which aid enters Gaza. The rockets were shot from a location near the Rafah crossing with Egypt, about 350 yards from civilian shelters. A short time later, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck and destroyed the launcher from which the rockets were fired. Fighter jets also hit a military building in the area. The IDF’s announcement of the attack includes footage of the Hamas rocket launches. Four soldiers were killed in the attack: Staff Sgt. Ido Testa, 19, a Givati Brigade soldier; Staff Sgt. Ruben Marc Mordechai Assouline, 19, from the Givati Brigade; Staff Sgt. Tal Shavit, 21, a Nahal Brigade soldier; and Sgt. Michael Ruzal, 18, also from the Nahal Brigade. Ten soldiers were wounded, three of them seriously. After the attack, the IDF closed the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Israel Begins Evacuating Eastern Neighborhoods in Rafah, Preparing for Ground Operation: After Hamas fired rockets at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday, killing and wounding IDF soldiers, the Israeli defense establishment decided it had waited “long enough,” and following Cabinet approval this morning, Israel began evacuating part of Rafah in preparation for the long-awaited ground operation. The IDF dropped leaflets in the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah calling on residents to move to the expanded humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi, which includes “field hospitals, tents and increased amounts of food, water, medication and additional supplies.” The announcement, which shows a map of the expanded humanitarian area, adds that the IDF will use phone calls, text messages, flyers, and media broadcasts to ask residents to move temporarily to the humanitarian area. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke last night to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, telling him that Israel has made “many efforts” to reach an agreement with Hamas for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages, but since Hamas is refusing all proposals, Israel has “no choice” and is starting the Rafah operation. Israeli officials also informed Egypt about the evacuation, stating that the operation is a limited one.

IAF Fighter Jets Attack Hamas Command-and-Control Center in UNRWA Compound: On Sunday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a Hamas command-and-control center that was located in an UNRWA compound in central Gaza. According to the IDF, the location was a “staging ground for multiple attacks on IDF troops and humanitarian aid distribution efforts as well as a weapons supply facility for Hamas terrorists.” The command-and-control center was used not only for planning several operations against IDF forces in recent weeks, said the IDF, but also for directing the transfer of weapons to terrorists and supplies to terror operatives in tunnels. The IDF stated that “Hamas intentionally positioned the command-and-control position in this location to jeopardize the Gazan civilians taking refuge there.” It added that it used precision weaponry in the attack, which was “carefully planned and executed,” and attempted to avoid harm to innocents to the extent possible.

Israeli Aid Coordinator: International Organizations Say Situation in Northern Gaza Improving, Ask to Reduce Aid: On Sunday, COGAT, the Israeli entity coordinating humanitarian aid for Gaza, stated that nearly 100 trucks with food aid have been traveling every day to northern Gaza, adding that this has been coordinated with the international community. According to COGAT, UN representatives who have held talks with Israel, including representatives from the UN’s World Food Programme, have said that “the humanitarian situation is improving and that there is a variety of goods in both warehouses and markets in the north.” COGAT added that last week, international organizations called for a reduction in the amount of goods sent to northern Gaza “since the quantities are too high in relation to the population.”

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