Arab Canada News

News

Israeli tanks advance into the center of Rafah despite global condemnation.

Israeli tanks advance into the center of Rafah despite global condemnation.

By Mounira Magdy

Published: May 28, 2024

Israeli tanks advanced into downtown Rafah for the first time today, Tuesday, eyewitnesses reported, following three weeks of the ground assault on the southern Gaza city, which has drawn global condemnation for the ongoing civilian casualties.

Witnesses told Reuters that tanks and armored vehicles equipped with machine guns were seen near the Al-Awda Mosque, a central landmark in Rafah. The Israeli army stated that its forces continued operations in the Rafah area without commenting on reports of advances in the city center.

Residents stated that their forces bombed the city overnight with airstrikes and tank fire and continued their assault despite international outcry over the attack that occurred on Sunday, which led to a massive fire in the tents of displaced persons, resulting in the deaths of at least 45 Palestinians, more than half of whom were children, women, and the elderly.

Global leaders expressed horror over the fire that broke out in a "humanitarian zone" where families displaced by fighting elsewhere in Gaza sought shelter and urged the implementation of the international court order to halt the Israeli assault.

In another move aimed at curbing violence, Spain, Ireland, and Norway are set to officially recognize the Palestinian state today, Tuesday.

The three countries said they hope their decision will accelerate efforts to ensure a ceasefire in the Israeli war against Hamas militants, which has now entered its eighth month and has turned much of the densely populated territory into rubble.

Residents reported that the Tel Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, which witnessed the raid on Sunday night that set tents and shelters ablaze while families slept, is still being shelled.

One resident told Reuters via a chat app, "Tank shells are falling everywhere in Tel Sultan. Many families fled their homes in western Rafah under fire throughout the night."

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported today that around one million people – many of whom have been repeatedly displaced due to shifting waves of war – have fled the Israeli assault on Rafah since early May.

A video obtained by Reuters showed families moving again, carrying their belongings through the destroyed streets of Rafah, with exhausted children trailing behind them.

Supporter Moayyad Al-Saifas, pushing his belongings on two bicycles, said, "There are so many attacks, smoke, and dust. Death is from God... (the Israelis) are hitting everywhere, we are tired."

Israel is fighting near the Egyptian border

Since Israel began its incursion by seizing the Rafah border crossing with Egypt three weeks ago, tanks have been roaming the city's outskirts and have entered some eastern areas, but they have not yet fully entered the city.

In recent days, Israeli tanks have advanced toward the western neighborhoods and have taken positions atop the Al-Zaarab hill west of Rafah. Eyewitnesses reported gun battles between Israeli forces and Hamas-led fighters in the Al-Zaarab area.

Witnesses in downtown Rafah said that the Israeli army apparently brought remote-controlled armored vehicles that showed no immediate signs of personnel inside or around them. There was no immediate comment from an Israeli army spokesperson.

The Israeli army stated that it worked overnight along the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt, "based on intelligence indicating the presence of terrorist targets."

It stated that Israeli forces engaged in close combat and found tunnel openings, weapons, and militant infrastructure.

Israel continued its attacks despite a ruling issued by the International Court of Justice on Friday ordering it to cease hostilities, arguing that the ruling from the UN’s Supreme Court gives it some leeway to conduct military operations there.

The Gaza Health Ministry states that over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault, as Israel launched its air and ground war after militants led by Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, resulting in about 1,200 deaths and the capture of over 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.

Israel claims it aims to eliminate Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue the hostages it says are being held in the area.

Since the raid targeting the camp on Sunday, at least 26 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Rafah, health officials in the Hamas-run sector stated.

In Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, one of the eight historical refugee camps in the area, Israeli forces engaged in heavy fighting with Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters, according to residents.

In some residential areas from which Israeli forces have withdrawn, civil emergency teams reported they are recovering bodies from under the rubble.

Comments

Related

Weather

Today

Friday, 04 July 2025

Loading...
icon --°C

--°C

--°C

  • --%
  • -- kmh
  • --%