Israeli tanks have reportedly reached the center of Rafah as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued its operation in the Palestinian city on Tuesday.
The armored vehicles could be seen near Al Awda mosque, a city landmark, Reuters reported, citing witness accounts.
The IDF’s actions in Rafah have attracted widespread condemnation after an airstrike on the city’s Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood killed at least 45 Palestinian refugees on Sunday. Israel initially said the attack had been a precision strike intended to kill senior officers of the militant group Hamas. However, it later blamed “a tragic mistake” in its targeting process for the mass deaths of civilians.
Overnight, more strikes pounded the city, residents told Reuters. Rafah has served as a haven for people displaced from across Gaza since last October, when a deadly Hamas incursion into southern Israel triggered retaliation by the country’s military.
The Israeli government has claimed that a ground operation in the area was required to eliminate Hamas. It pushed forward with its plans despite widespread international concern, including its key ally the US, that the attack would result in mass civilian casualties.
The operation continues despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering on Friday for Israel to stop its activities in Rafah. The UN judicial body dismissed Israeli claims that it was taking appropriate measures to mitigate harm to civilians as “not convincing.”
Health officials in Gaza say over 36,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian enclave due to the Israeli offensive. The Hamas raid in October resulted in some 1,200 deaths, while more than 250 people were captured as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.