Israeli forces intensify Rafah raid, kill 14 in Gaza

Israeli forces killed at least 14 Palestinians in tank and air strikes in northern and central Gaza on Friday, medics said, as tanks advanced further into northwest Rafah near the Egyptian border.

The ongoing fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza continued despite escalating tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border, where Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, is involved.

Meanwhile, some Palestinians displaced by the Israeli assault on Gaza expressed fears that their temporary beachside camp could be inundated by high waves.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli tank shelling killed eight people and wounded several others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Six more were killed in an airstrike on a house in Gaza City.

In Beit Hanoun, a northern town, an Israeli strike on a car killed and wounded several Palestinians, medics reported.

It remains unclear how many of the casualties were combatants and how many were civilians.

In the southern city of Rafah, where the Israeli army has been operating since May, tanks advanced further into the northwest, supported by aircraft, according to residents. They also reported heavy fire and explosions in the eastern parts of the city, where Israeli forces destroyed several houses, according to residents and Hamas media.

"Our fighters are engaged in fierce gunbattles against Israeli forces, who advanced into the Tanour neighborhood in Rafah," Hamas' armed wing said in a statement.

The Israeli military said forces operating in Rafah have killed hundreds of Palestinian militants in recent weeks, located tunnels and explosives, and destroyed military infrastructure.

Israel's insistence on maintaining control of the southern border between Rafah and Egypt has been a central issue in international efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The United States, along with mediators from Qatar and Egypt, has been attempting to secure a truce for months but has so far failed to bring both sides to an agreement.

Two major obstacles remain: Israel's demand to maintain forces in the Philadelphi corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt, and the details of a potential exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Reuters