On Friday, Israeli forces killed at least 14 Palestinians in air and tank strikes across northern and central Gaza, according to medical sources. This escalation occurred as Israeli tanks advanced further northwest of Rafah, near the Egyptian border, Reuters reports.
The continuous fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants in Gaza persisted, despite rising tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border, where Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, has become increasingly involved.
Meanwhile, Palestinians displaced by the Israeli assault expressed concerns that their makeshift camp on the beach could be flooded by rising waves.
Palestinian health officials stated that Israeli tank fire killed eight people and injured several others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Six more Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a house in Gaza City.
In the northern town of Beit Hanoun, an Israeli strike on a vehicle resulted in further casualties, although it remains unclear how many of the victims were militants or civilians.
In southern Rafah, where the Israeli military has been operating since May, tanks advanced further northward, supported by airstrikes. Residents reported hearing intense gunfire and explosions in the eastern part of the city, where Israeli forces, according to locals and Hamas-affiliated media, detonated several homes.
Hamas’s military wing issued a statement saying its fighters were engaged in “fierce armed combat” with Israeli forces advancing in Rafah’s Tanour neighborhood.
According to the Israeli military, its forces operating in Rafah in recent weeks have killed hundreds of Palestinian militants, uncovered tunnels and explosives, and destroyed Hamas military infrastructure.
Israel’s insistence on retaining control over the Rafah-Egypt border remains a major stumbling block in international efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been working for months to negotiate a truce, but they have been unable to bring both sides to a final agreement.
Two main issues have proven particularly difficult: Israel’s demand to maintain forces in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt, and the terms for exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
For displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza area of Al-Mawasi, a new problem has emerged: the threat of high waves. Some makeshift tents pitched near the beach were flooded last week, and many fear it could happen again.
“Enough is enough. The occupation (Israel) pushed us to the sea, where we thought it would be safe, but last week the sea flooded and swept away some tents, and it could happen again. Where else can we go?” said Shaban, a 47-year-old electrical engineer displaced from Gaza City.
