Residents said that the Israeli army is trying to complete its military operation to capture Raba, which is at the southern end of Gaza bordering Egypt. Israel launched an offensive in early May against Raba, the last refuge of the Palestinians, despite international protests.
Tanks are advancing in the western and northern parts of the city and the Israeli army has already captured the eastern, southern and central parts. People here are fleeing as warships launch barrages from the air, land and off the coast. More than a million people displaced by attacks in other parts of Gaza have taken refuge in Raba.
Gaza health officials said 12 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks by Israeli forces yesterday. Israel’s military said it engaged in intelligence-based precision force operations in Raba. It also said troops were fighting near tunnels used by militants.
Some Raba residents have reported increasing Israeli sieges over the past two days. They also mentioned that they heard explosions and gunshots and that there were continuous violent clashes.
‘Last night was a bad night in West Raba. Drones, planes, tanks and naval boats dropped bombs here. “We feel that the invaders are trying to take complete control of the city,” Hatham, 45, told Reuters via text message.
“It has slowed down their progress as they have been facing heavy attacks from the opposition,” he pointed out.
In a war that has lasted more than eight months, Israeli forces have been increasingly focused on the southern tip of Raba and the areas surrounding Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, two areas that have yet to enter Gaza.
“The entire mobile Israeli force in Raba is the area where the operation takes place,” Ahmed Al Sobi, the mayor of Raba, said in a statement released yesterday.
“This city is facing a humanitarian crisis and people are being killed in their tents by Israeli bombardment,” he added.
Noting that medical facilities in the city are non-functional, Sobi noted that the remaining residents and displaced families continue to lack their daily minimum of food and water.
More than 100,000 people continue to live on the far western side of the city of Raba, according to Palestinians and the UN. The parties mentioned. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people took refuge in the town of Raba before Israel began its offensive in early May.
Hamas’ weapons wing said on Thursday it had hit two Israeli tanks with anti-tank rockets at the Shaboura camp in Rabaa. It also killed an Israeli soldier who tried to escape, it said. No response has been given from the Israeli side in this regard.
Three people, including a father and son, were killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday in the nearby town of Khan Yunis, medical sources said.
At the same time, the Israeli army continues to advance in some suburbs of Gaza City in the north. Reports from there indicate that heavy fighting is going on with Palestinian militants led by Hamas. Settlers said Israeli forces also destroyed several homes in central Gaza City.
Gaza Civil Emergency Services said five people, including four municipal workers, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a municipal facility in Gaza City yesterday. Rescuers continued to search for survivors in the rubble.
The number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza over the past eight months has approached 37,500.
