Israel has defeated the Hamas brigade in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday during a visit to the border area between Gaza and Egypt. “The [Hamas] Rafah brigade has been defeated, and over 150 tunnels have been destroyed in the region,” he said. He had instructed the troops to concentrate on destroying the remaining tunnels on the border between the coastal strip and Egypt in the coming period. Israel had advanced to Rafah in May, despite massive international criticism, in order to destroy the remaining forces of the Palestinian militant…