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The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) continue an active offensive in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to sources on the ground, manoeuvrable units of the Israeli army, including tanks, have reached the coastal strip north of Rafah and are approaching the area of the junction with Khan Younis – less than three kilometres from the Egyptian border (the so-called Philadelphia Axis).
This was reported on 24 March by the Telegram channel ‘Aleksey Zheleznov‘, citing eyewitnesses and field sources.
IDF troops reportedly entered the Mu’azza tent camp area, where thousands of internally displaced persons are housed. Witnesses reported deaths as a result of shelling, which, according to preliminary data, took place along the coast from south to north.
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The critical situation in Tel a Sultan
The Rafah municipality stated that thousands of civilians were trapped in the Tel a-Sultan area, where fighting intensified. People are unable to leave the danger zone, lacking water and food. The local authorities called for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians and deliver the necessary aid.
The day before, the IDF issued a warning demanding evacuation from a number of Rafah neighbourhoods, but according to humanitarian organisations, many people did not have time or were unable to leave the area due to lack of transport, illness or because they had nowhere else to go.
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The IDF’s offensive in southern Gaza is taking place against the backdrop of the deteriorating situation in the region and Israel’s statements about the need to destroy the remnants of Hamas combat units in the border areas. At the same time, the international community is calling on the Israeli side to refrain from a large-scale offensive on Rafah, a city with hundreds of thousands of refugees who have already been forced to flee their homes in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
