IDF Finds Loaded Rocket Launchers on Egyptian Border Near Rafah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed Wednesday that it had discovered loaded rocket launchers near Rafah, in southern Gaza, on the Philadelphi corridor that runs along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

The discovery adds more weight to Israel’s argument that it needs to operate in Rafah to remove the last Hamas battalions and control the border.

Located along the Philadelphi Corridor: Loaded rocket launchers aimed at Israel.

Our soldiers located and destroyed these multi-barrel rocket launchers. The launch sites were located in eastern Rafah along the Philadelphi Corridor, close to the border.

We will continue to… pic.twitter.com/msyhnQsQUO

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 22, 2024

In a statement, the IDF said:

IDF troops are continuing to operate in the area of Rafah against terror targets. A few hours ago, IDF soldiers located and destroyed multi-barrel rocket launchers that were ready to fire toward Israeli territory. The launch sites were located in eastern Rafah along the Philadelphi Corridor.

Rockets launched by terrorists from Rafah have hit the border crossing between Israel and Gaza at Keren Shalom — an important point of entry for humanitarian aid.

The rocket launchers were hidden in enclosed sheds, or embedded in earthen berms, just a few meters from the border fence with Egypt — raising questions about whether the Egyptian military knew about their presence.

Elsewhere in Gaza the IDF identified a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school that was being used by Hamas as a base for weapons and soldiers. “The strike was carefully planned and carried out using precise munitions to mitigate any harm to civilians in the area,” the IDF said in a statement.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.