Israeli tanks advanced to the edge of a crowded district in the heart of Rafah on Wednesday night, intensifying the bombardment of the southern Gaza city. The assault on Rafah has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee, cutting off access routes for aid and raising fears of mass casualties and famine.
Israel claims it has no choice but to attack the city to root out the last battalions of Hamas fighters believed to be sheltering there. Tanks have slowly moved into the eastern outskirts of Rafah since the start of the month, with new positions taken up on the southern border fence with Egypt.
Residents reported that tanks were now stationed on the edge of the Yibna neighborhood at the center of Rafah, but had not yet entered the district due to intense fighting. Hamas’s armed wing claimed to have struck two armored troop carriers with anti-tank rockets along the border fence.
Palestinian residents also reported Israeli drones firing into the Yibna suburb and targeting fishing boats on the beach, causing some to catch fire. The night was filled with continuous Israeli fire from drones, helicopters, warplanes, and tanks, according to a resident who spoke to Reuters.
The Israeli military has not provided immediate information on the situation in Rafah, but stated that a number of fighters were killed in targeted operations in Khan Younis and the northern Gaza Strip. UNRWA estimated that over 800,000 people had fled Rafah since the start of the Israeli targeting in early May.
Since the assault on Gaza began following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities, over 35,000 people have been killed, with thousands more feared buried under rubble. The military reported the killing of a key Hamas operative, Ahmed Yasser Alkara, along with two others in Khan Younis.
In Zawayda, an Israeli airstrike killed seven people in one house, while on Gaza’s northern edge in Jabalia, Israeli forces continued a ground offensive that has resulted in the destruction of entire residential districts and dozens of casualties.
The operation in Jabalia comes as Israel claims it had to return to prevent Hamas from re-establishing in the area, despite withdrawing its forces in January after claiming to have dismantled the group. The situation in Gaza remains dire, with ongoing violence and destruction impacting the lives of civilians caught in the crossfire.