Kathryn Tyson, Andie Parry, Kelly Campa, Johanna Moore, Alexandra Braverman, Ashka Jhaveri, and Nicholas Carl

Information Cutoff: 2:00pm ET

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on May 16 that the IDF will deploy additional forces to Rafah as Israeli forces continue to conduct limited operations in the area. Gallant said that Israeli forces have destroyed several tunnels in eastern Rafah and will continue to destroy tunnels there. Gallant added that IDF operations will “intensify” in Rafah. Gallant said that Hamas is not able to “regenerate itself” and that Hamas lacks reserves, supplies, and munitions and has no ability to manufacture weapons or provide medical treatment to its fighters.

The IDF 162nd Division continued to conduct clearing operations east of Rafah City on May 16. The IDF 89th Commando Brigade directed airstrikes targeting Hamas fighters in eastern Rafah City. The IDF 401st Brigade and Givati Brigade (both under the 162nd Division) killed Palestinian fighters and located weapons and tunnel shafts. Palestinian militias, including Hamas, targeted Israeli forces east of Rafah with anti-personnel mines, rocket-propelled grenades, sniper fire, mortars, and rockets.

Key Takeaways:

• Yemen: Houthi Supreme Leader Abdulmalik al Houthi claimed that the Houthis have attacked international shipping in the Mediterranean Sea in recent days. No evidence to support this claim is currently available.

• Northern Gaza Strip: The IDF 98th Division continued to conduct clearing operations in Jabalia refugee camp.

• Southern Gaza Strip: The IDF 162nd Division continued to conduct clearing operations east of Rafah City.

• West Bank: The IDF conducted an “extensive” operation to disrupt Palestinian militia financing networks in several cities in the West Bank.

• Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights: Lebanese Hezbollah conducted at least 16 attacks into northern Israel.

• Iraq: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias— claimed two attacks targeting Israel.

Click here to read the full update.

ISW–CTP has launched an interactive map of Israeli ground operations to accompany our daily campaign assessments of the Israel–Hamas war. This product complements the daily static maps that ISW-CTP produces with high-fidelity and, where possible, street-level assessments of the war in Israel.

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