Israeli forces intensified their assault on Rafah overnight with air and ground attacks, as tanks pushed further west as fierce gun battles between Israeli troops and Hamas-led Palestinian fighters raged, on residents reported.
Residents described tanks controlling the borderline with Egypt making multiple incursions toward the west and centre of Rafah, injuring several residents who were caught off guard in their homes.
“I think the occupation forces are trying to reach the beach area of Rafah. The raids and the bombing overnight were tactical; they entered under heavy fire before they retreated,” one Palestinian man explained. “It was one of the worst nights; some people were wounded inside their homes before being evacuated this morning,” he said.
Israeli forces also operated inside the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza while maintaining heavy bombardment from planes and tanks on two other camps and a nearby city, resulting in multiple Palestinian casualties, according to medics.
The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and smaller groups reported engaging Israeli forces in various areas of central and southern Gaza.
Meanwhile, efforts by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, supported by the United States, to broker a ceasefire have shown no progress. Sources close to the talks indicated there were no signs of a breakthrough. Since a brief week-long truce in November, all attempts at a ceasefire have failed. Hamas demands a permanent end to the conflict, while Israel is only willing to discuss temporary pauses until Hamas is defeated.
“We have shown all the flexibility needed to reach a deal, but the Israeli occupation continues to refuse any commitment to end the aggression and pull its forces from the Gaza Strip,” a Hamas official said. “The occupation and the Americans are to blame for the absence of a deal so far because they don’t want this war on our people to end,” he added.
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