Nearly 800,000 Palestinians have evacuated Rafah since Israel began ground operations in the southern Gaza city on May 6.
This was announced on Saturday (18/5) by the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in a post on the X social network.
Israeli troops and tanks advanced on Saturday into the besieged and densely populated parts of the northern Gaza Strip, through which they have previously passed, as part of the more than seven-month war, which ‘ killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians. .
Israeli forces also seized some land in Rafah, the southern town along the Egyptian border, which is full of displaced people and where the attack aimed at crushing Hamas is a major concern. in Cairo, Washington and international capitals, reports Reuters.
Israel relentlessly hitting Rafa and Jambaliya
Israeli tanks advanced to the eastern suburbs of the city and engaged Palestinian fighters. Residents said Israeli air and ground shelling continued throughout the past night.
Israel also began sweeping military operations in areas of northern Gaza where it had halted hostilities in January. At the time it was even said that the forces would return to prevent any re-establishment of the Palestinian Islamic group that rules Gaza.
In Jambaliya, the largest of the eight historic refugee camps in Gaza, Israeli soldiers and tanks invaded every neighborhood, residents said. In one strike, medics said 15 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded.
Gaza’s health ministry and the Civil Emergency Service said they had received dozens of calls about possible casualties but were unable to conduct inquiries due to the ongoing ground attack and aerial bombardment.
“An ambulance can’t arrive”
“This is the day of the heaviest shelling, airstrikes and tank strikes continue almost non-stop,” Jambaliya resident Ibrahim Khaled said via a chat app.
“We know of dozens of witnesses and injured, but an ambulance cannot reach the scene,” he told Reuters.
The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate across the Gaza Strip, including Jamapliyya and Rafah, saying they were carrying out “detailed operations against terrorists and their infrastructure”.
“The air force struck more than 70 terrorist targets in the past day, including weapons storage facilities, military infrastructure sites, terrorists and military compounds,” the military said.
The armed wing of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah said militants attacked Israeli forces in Jabaliya and Rafah with anti-tank rockets, mortars and explosives, killing and injuring many soldiers.
The Israeli military said 281 soldiers had been killed in the fighting since the first ground offensive entered Gaza on October 20.
At least 35,386 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to figures from the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, while aid groups have repeatedly warned of widespread hunger and severe shortages of fuel and medical supplies.
It is estimated that 125 hostages are still being held in Gaza.
Source: in.gr
