On Wednesday, Israeli tanks moved to the edge of a crowded district in the heart of Rafah. The attack by the Israeli army forced thousands of people to flee what had been a refuge for half of the enclave’s 2.3 million people. The recent move has also cut off the main access routes for aid into Gaza, drawing international fears of mass deaths and famine.
‘No choice but to attack’
Israel says it has no choice but to attack Rafah to flush out the last battalions of Hamas fighters it believes are sheltering there. Its battalions have been slowly and gradually moving into the eastern outskirts of Rafah since the start of the month.
Residents on Wednesday said tanks had taken up new positions further west than before along the southern border fence with Egypt.
The armed wing of Hamas said it had struck two armoured troop carriers at a gate along the border fence with anti-tank rockets.
Palestinian locals said Israeli drones were shooting into the Yibna suburb and had opened fire overnight on fishing boats on the beach of Rafah causing some to catch fire.
The main United Nations agency in Gaza – UNRWA – calculated as of Monday that more than 800,000 people had fled Rafah since Israel began attacking the city in early May,
Israel launched its attack on Gaza following a Hamas-led raid on southern Israeli communities on October 7 in which fighters slaughtered 1,200 people and captured more than 250 prisoners. Since then, assault by Israel has killed more than 35,000 people, with thousands more feared buried under the rubble, according to health authorities of Gaza.
Israel attacked Rafah despite international pleas for restraint.