Israeli forces bombard central and southern Gaza as tanks advance in Rafah

Israel has bombarded swathes of central and southern Gaza, while tanks have advanced to the western edges of the border city.

In its latest update, the Israeli military said it had killed “dozens” of Hamas militants during operations in al-Bureij refugee camp and the nearby city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Palestinian medics in the area reported that at least 15 civilians had been killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes.

In the larger city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on a house killed eight people and wounded several, including children, medics added.

And in northern Gaza, three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City school building that was sheltering displaced families, rescue workers said. It follows a strike on a United Nations-run school in central Gaza earlier this week that killed dozens of people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

In the southernmost city of Rafah, meanwhile, tank-led forces have advanced to the southwest fringes of the city that skirts the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, according to accounts from local residents.

A month after the first Israeli tanks rolled across the border towards the outskirts of the city, one Palestinian resident said they believed Israel was trying to “reach the beach” on Gaza’s western Mediterranean coast.

“The raids and the bombing overnight were tactical, they entered under heavy fire and then retreated,” the resident told Reuters via a chat app.

Another resident said snipers had commandeered some buildings and high ground, trapping people in their homes, while Israeli machine gun fire had made it too dangerous to go out.

Gaza health officials added that two Palestinians had been killed and several