Israeli forces strike deeper into Rafah
Israeli tanks advanced deeper into the western area of Rafah, amid one of the worst nights of bombardment from air, ground, and sea, forcing many families to flee their homes and tents under darkness, residents said yesterday.
Residents said the Israeli forces thrust towards the Al-Mawasi area of Rafah near the beach, which is designated as a humanitarian area in all announcements and maps published by the Israeli army since it began its Rafah offensive in May.
The Israeli military denied in a statement it had launched any strikes inside the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said its fighters were battling Israeli troops on the streets of the same area, reports AFP.
The Israeli military said it was continuing "intelligence-based, targeted operations" on Rafah, saying forces in the past day had located weapons, and killed Palestinian gunmen in close-range combat.
The military said it had struck 45 targets across the Gaza Strip from the air, including "military structures, militant cells, rocket launchers, and tunnel shafts".
The top world court, the International Court of Justice, in May issued a binding ruling for Israel to halt any offensive in Rafah and elsewhere that could bring about "the physical destruction" of the Palestinians.
Israel responded that it had not "and will not" engage in such operations against the Palestinians, reports Reuters.
At least 37,232 Palestinians have been killed and 85,037 have been injured in the offensive that began on October 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement yesterday. Some 30 Palestinians were killed in the previous 24 hours, the ministry added.
In a statement early yesterday, Hamas urged Blinken to put "direct pressure" on Israel for permanent Gaza ceasefire.
"He continues to talk about Israel's agreement of the latest (ceasefire) proposal, but we have not heard any Israeli official speak out on this," it said.
Israel is standing behind a ceasefire proposal for the eight-month-old offensive in the Gaza Strip, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said yesterday, and the goal is to bridge gaps with Hamas and get to a deal soon.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting of leaders in southern Italy, Sullivan said the world should encourage the Palestinian group to accept the proposal and avoid stalemate.
The offensive in Gaza has led to widespread destruction of homes and other infrastructure, with hospitals out of service and the UN warning of famine.
In central Gaza's Bureij refugee camp, resident Ahmed al-Rubi said he wanted an end to the "severe suffering we are going through".
"I hope for a ceasefire," he told AFP. "What has happened to us is enough."
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