IDF says troops have encircled Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood in southern Gaza

Israeli forces complete the encirclement of Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood in southern Gaza, the IDF says in a statement.

According to the army, the operation — which began overnight — is meant “to destroy terrorist infrastructure and eliminate terrorists in the area, with the aim of deepening control and expanding the security area in the southern Gaza Strip.”

IDF troops killed several terrorists in the operation, says the army, and raided a Hamas command and control complex.

This morning, the IDF issued an “urgent” and immediate evacuation warning for Palestinians residing in the Tel Sultan neighborhood.

The IDF has carried out operations in Tel Sultan in the past — the neighborhood houses a number of key complexes belonging to Hamas and has a network of tunnels in which hostages have been held.

While the military had been operating in the area until recently, troops withdrew from the neighborhood during the two-month ceasefire that began in January.

Israel returned to fighting in Gaza last week after attempts to secure the release of more hostages by extending the first phase of the multi-stage ceasefire deal, rather than moving to the second phase, fell through.

According to the IDF statement, Israeli forces are allowing civilians to evacuate the combat zone along defined routes.