May 7 in Military History — On This Day

⚔️📍 Reims, France1945

Germany Signs Unconditional Surrender — WWII Ends in Europe

German Chief of Staff Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces at Allied Supreme Headquarters in Reims at 2:41 a.m., effective May 8. The act ended nearly six years of war that killed an estimated 70–85 million people.

V-E Day (Victory in Europe) was celebrated with massive street parties across Allied nations, though the war in the Pacific continued for three more months.

Outcome

WWII in Europe ends; Nazi Germany ceases to exist

Rafah Offensive

Despite intense US and international pressure to hold off, Israel launched its Rafah operation on May 7. Over 1 million displaced Palestinians had sought shelter in Rafah, making it the most densely populated city on earth. The IDF seized the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, cutting off the last major aid entry point. The operation proceeded block by block through the summer. On July 13, a targeted strike killed Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. On October 17, a random IDF infantry patrol encountered and killed Yahya Sinwar in Rafah's ruins.

The Rafah offensive achieved the stated military objective of destroying Hamas's last organized military formations and killing its senior leadership. But it also produced the war's most devastating humanitarian conditions, with aid effectively blocked for months. The killing of Sinwar removed Hamas's mastermind but did not end the conflict or produce a hostage deal.

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