Israeli tanks dominated the main road dividing the eastern and western halves of Rafah this Friday (10), effectively surrounding the entire eastern side of the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Residents described almost constant explosions and gunfire in the east and northeast of the city this Friday (10), with intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants.
Hamas said it had surrounded Israeli tanks near a mosque in the east of the city, a sign that the Israelis had penetrated several kilometers from the east to the outskirts of the built-up area.
Israel ordered civilians out of the eastern half of Rafah, forcing tens of thousands of people to seek shelter outside the city, previously the last refuge of more than a million who fled other parts of the enclave during the war.
Israel says it cannot win the war without attacking Rafah to eliminate thousands of Hamas fighters it believes are sheltering there. Hamas says it will fight to defend the region. Aid agencies say the battle puts hundreds of thousands of already displaced civilians in danger.
“It’s not safe, Rafah is not safe, as tank fire has hit everywhere since yesterday,” Abu Hassan, 50, a resident of Tel al-Sultan, west of Rafah, told Reuters via a chat app. -chat.
“I'm trying to get out, but I can't afford to buy a tent for my family,” he said. “There is an increase in the movement of people out of Rafah, even from the western areas, although they have not been designated as red zones by the occupation.
“The army is targeting all of Rafah, not just the east, with tanks and airstrikes.”
The Israeli military said its forces in eastern Rafah located several tunnel shafts and troops benefiting from an air strike fought closely with groups of Hamas fighters, killing several.
The agency said Israeli jets had struck several locations from which rockets and mortars had been fired into Israel in recent days, including at the Kerem Shalom crossing point.
Israeli tanks have already isolated eastern Rafah, capturing and closing the only passage between the enclave and Egypt. An advance on Friday to the Salahuddin road that bisects the strip completed the siege of the “red zone”, where residents were ordered to leave.
The United States has blocked arms shipments to Israel for the first time since the start of the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (9) that Israel “will fight with our claws” if necessary. In an interview with US TV, the prime minister said he hoped Israel would overcome its disagreements with President Joe Biden.
Ceasefire negotiations broke down on Thursday (9), with no agreement to stop the fighting and release hostages captured in the October 7 attacks, led by Hamas.
Hamas said it agreed earlier this week to a proposal presented by mediators from Qatar and Egypt that had already been accepted by Israel. Israel said Hamas' proposal contained elements that could not be accepted.
More than 34,000 Gazans have been killed in the seven months of war, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled enclave, who say thousands of dead are likely buried under rubble. Israel launched the attack to annihilate Hamas following the October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed according to Israeli figures.
Source: CNN Brasil
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