IDF says it is still clearing explosives, weapons from around Gaza border

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Merkava tanks roll into position outside Kibbutz Be'eri, near the border with the Gaza Strip on October 20, 2023. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
Merkava tanks roll into position outside Kibbutz Be'eri, near the border with the Gaza Strip on October 20, 2023. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)

The Israeli military says Combat Engineering Forces are still working to clear the area near the border with the Gaza Strip of explosives and weapons left behind by Hamas terrorists from the October 7 onslaught.

The Israel Defense Forces says members of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit located a child’s school bag near the southern community of Kissufim, which had been carried by a Hamas terrorist. Inside the bag, the forces found a seven-kilogram explosive device and a remote detonator.

The IDF says Yahalom forces found more than 1,000 firearms, 2,000 grenades, 1,000 RPGs, and 1,200 other explosive devices.

Some of the explosives were safely detonated by the forces after being found, while others were collected for further inspection.

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