Rafah battles intensify as Israel takes over Gaza-Egypt border strip
Al Jazeera
Israeli bombardments continue in Rafah, a day after tanks rolled into the centre of the southern Gaza city.
Rafah residents have reported intense artillery shelling and gunfire in Gaza’s far-southern city after Israel said it had seized a strategic corridor on the Palestinian territory’s border with Egypt.
The Israeli military launched its incursion into Rafah in early May despite international objections over the fate of Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
A strike over the weekend that started a fire and killed dozens in a displacement camp drew a wave of new condemnation, including a social media campaign with the slogan “All eyes on Rafah” that has been shared by tens of millions of users.
Israel said on Wednesday its forces had taken over the 14-kilometre (8.5-mile) Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border, which it suspects was used for weapons smuggling.
Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced Israel had taken “operational control” of the narrow border area, where he said troops had “discovered around 20 tunnels”.
