Israeli Raid In Rafah Intensifies Killing 14 People In Gaza

Israeli raid in Rafah has intensified after killing 14 people in Gaza during tank and air strikes on north and central areas of the region on Friday. The deepening of the raid is witnessed with the advancement of tanks further into northwest Rafah, moving close to the border with Egypt.

The never-ending fight between Israel and Hamas still carried on despite another battle between Israel and Hezbollah fighters’ pagers detonation in Lebanon.

(Also read: General Strike In Israel Begins As A Protest For Pressuring Government For Gaza Hostage Deal)

The people in Palestine fear that with the ongoing Israeli raid in Rafah, the temporary beachside camp might get flooded with people as displacement of Palestinians amidst Israel’s assault is expected.

Palestinian health officials reported that in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, there were eight fatalities and multiple injuries. The mishap occurred due to Israel’s tank shelling where six were killed by their airstrike on a house in Gaza City.

Furthermore, an Israeli strike on a car in the northern town of Beit Hanoun resulted in the deaths of several Palestinians and the injuries of others. The news was confirmed by the medics, however, they were still not sure how many casualties were there in total.

The residents of Rafah, where the Israeli army has been active since May, told that Israel had advanced its tanks further to the northwest area with the support of their aircraft as well.

The eastern areas of the city have heard various sounds of house explosions and heavy fires launched by the Israeli forces. The sounds were confirmed by Rafah residents and the Hamas media.

The news of Israel’s killing 14 people spread like wildfire at which Hamas armed wing said, “Our fighters are engaged in forced gun battles against Israeli forces, who advanced into Tanour neighbourhood in Rafah”.

Israeli raid in Rafah killing several Palestinian civilians

The Israeli raid in Rafah has not stopped their forces from wreaking further havoc on Palestinian people since they affirmed the killing of hundreds of Palestinians. Israel was of the view that they had actually killed Gaza’s infrastructure and Hamas fighters by launching explosions in tunnels and underground headquarters.

International efforts are in line to conclude the Israel-Hamas war with a ceasefire deal. But Israel has been pressing for authority over Rafah’s southern border with Egypt.

The United States and Qatar along with Egypt have been acting as mediators for months to assist both sides in coming to a ceasefire truce but all is in vain.

Two main obstacles are in the way at the moment: Israel’s demand for keeping its forces in the Philadelphi corridor that lies between Gaza and Egypt; another one being the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners under Israel’s detention.

On the other hand, displaced Palestinians are concerned about the high waves in the Al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza. Several Palestinians are already living on the beach whose tents were washed away by a flood last week.

One of the engineers residing in the area was exasperated with the incoming of displaced people in huge numbers. He feared that such a situation might occur again if the risk of high waves persisted. They had to put their tents in the area as they thought they would be safe from the ongoing conflict but with the massive influx of new people, “where would we go?” said the electrical engineer.

Israel is not ready to make peace with Hamas as it wants to eradicate the entire fighters group and its infrastructure. Israeli forces deem it as a threat to their own existence and have been at war since 7 October when Hamas attacked Israel resulting in the killing of 1200 people and keeping more than 250 hostages.