Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, May 6, 2024

"Good evening. Sergeant Michael Ruzal, Staff Sergeant Ruben Marc Mordechai Assouline, Staff Sergeant Ido Testa, and Staff Sergeant Tal Shavit (may their memory be a blessing). Four soldiers from the Givati and Nahal Brigades fell yesterday while carrying out a defensive mission in the Kerem Shalom area near the Gaza border. They fell due to mortar shells launched from the Rafah Border Crossing area. We support the bereaved families during this difficult time and will continue to accompany them. The memory of the fallen is our compass to continue fighting, especially these days. This morning, we announced the start of the evacuation of residents in the eastern Rafah area and the expansion of the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi and Khan Yunis, as part of the preparation for ground operations in the area, following the directive of the political level. During the day, IAF aircraft struck over 50 terrorist targets in the Rafah area. Tonight, we also call upon those staying in specific areas which we have communicated and defined through every means—radio, media, internet, and flyers—in eastern Rafah, to move towards the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi and Khan Yunis, where they will receive full humanitarian aid and where water, food, medical equipment, and shelter will be provided. Following the firing from the Rafah area towards Kerem Shalom yesterday, the Kerem Shalom Crossing was closed for security reasons. Once the operational situation allows, the crossing will reopen.

Over the last day, on the northern border, there have been exchanges of fire. Overnight, fighter jets targeted a military compound deep in Lebanon, and during the afternoon, we completed a strike on approximately 20 military buildings and terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Radwan Forces in southern Lebanon. During the day, a UAV from the Hezbollah terrorist organization hit near Metula.

In Judea and Samaria, IDF, ISA, and the Israel Border Police forces have been conducting an operation over the past week to thwart terrorism in Tulkarm, during which the forces have destroyed laboratories for manufacturing explosives, confiscated weapons, and apprehended terrorists. During an operation carried out last week—a significant operation to neutralize a Hamas cell in Tulkarm—a Yamam (Israel's National Counter Terror Unit) soldier was seriously injured. At this time, we are still fighting for his life, and we wish him a speedy and full recovery.

This evening marks the end of Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day, maybe more than any other day of the year, symbolizes the right and duty of the Jewish people and the State of Israel to defend themselves. This evening, I wish to remember the Holocaust survivors who were kidnapped and murdered on October 7th, and those who survived the brutal attack, including Shlomo Mansour, 86 years old, who survived brutality in Iraq during the Holocaust and was kidnapped from his home in Kissufim on October 7th. Along with him, 131 hostages are still held cruelly in the captivity of Hamas terrorists. Today, it is our moral obligation to do everything possible to bring them home as quickly as possible."