Operating in Gaza for first time, Israel’s newest combat brigade has destroyed 30 tunnels

For the first time since its establishment in 2005, the Israeli military’s Kfir Brigade is operating in the Gaza Strip and its forces have already located and destroyed more than 30 tunnel shafts.

In addition to uncovering the tunnels, soldiers directed dozens of airstrikes and about 100 artillery strikes on Hamas targets in northern Gaza, and are fighting in close-quarters with Hamas terror squads.

The primary mission of the Kfir Brigade is to conduct a wide range of combat operations, including counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and conventional warfare. The brigade is trained and equipped to operate in various terrains, such as urban areas, rural landscapes, and mountainous regions, reflecting the diverse and complex nature of conflicts Israel faces.

“The Brigade has located and destroyed more than 30 shafts until now in cooperation with other units. The cooperation with the Air Force is close and is very significant for operational success,” said the brigade’s commander, Col. Yaniv Barot. “In every day of battle, we learn, improve and refine our capabilities every day and we will continue to do so.”

The brigade is made up of five battalions frequently involved in counter-terror operations in Palestinian cities and refugee camps across Judea and Samaria. Since Oct. 7, Israel’s security forces have arrested approximately 2,100 Palestinian terrorists of whom 1,100 are associated with Hamas.

Also on Monday, the IDF announced a new humanitarian corridor in the southern Gaza Strip and warned Palestinians to avoid certain areas due to heavy fighting, as part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

“The IDF will allow humanitarian movement of civilians through a bypass axis located west of Khan Yunis,” said Lt.-Col. Avichai Adree, the IDF spokesman to the Arab media.

Adree tweeted a map warning Palestinians against remaining in specific areas north and east of the city.

Israeli forces continued to expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including extensive activity near Rafah and Khan Yunis in central and southern Gaza, and in northern Gaza at Shejaiya as well as the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. Another 240 men, women, children and soldiers were taken back to Gaza as hostages. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.