Israeli tanks roll into central Rafah for first time in Gaza war
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 6 months ago • 19 commentsBy: Chris Pandolfo (Fox News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Israeli tanks were reportedly seen in the center of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, according to witnesses, as Israel enters the third week of its ground operation in the southern Gaza city.
The tanks were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, the witnesses told Reuters. The Israel Defense Forces said its operations in the city continue in the Rafah area but did not comment on whether its forces advanced to the city center.
"Overnight, IDF troops operated on the Philadelphi Corridor while conducting precise operational activity based on intelligence indicating the presence of terror targets in the area," the IDF said. The Philadelphi Corridor is an Israeli name for the 8.7 mile strip of land that comprises the border between Gaza and Egypt, including the border crossing in Rafah.
Israel pounded the city with airstrikes and tank fire, residents told Reuters, as it pressed the offensive despite international condemnation over a strike on Sunday that killed two senior Hamas terrorist leaders and dozens of civilians. The Hamas-run health ministry claimed at least 45 people died, and other outlets have quoted up to 50 deaths.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024.(REUTERS/Hatem Khaled)
Since the strike, at least 26 more people have been killed by Israeli fire in Rafah, according to Hamas officials.
Hamas does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists. Fox News Digital reported in March that an Ivy League statistician argued that Hamas' death toll numbers are not trustworthy.
Israeli tanks pushed toward western neighborhoods and took positions on the Zurub hilltop in western Rafah in one of the worst nights of bombardment reported by residents. On Tuesday, witnesses reported gun battles between Israeli troops and Hamas-led fighters in the Zurub area.
"The activity is being conducted as efforts are continuing to be made in order to prevent harm to uninvolved civilians in the area. The troops are engaging with terrorists in close-quarters combat and locating terror tunnel shafts, weapons, and additional terrorist infrastructure in the area," the IDF said.
Witnesses in Rafah told Reuters the Israeli military appeared to be using remote-operated armored vehicles, as there was no immediate sign of personnel in or around them. The IDF did not comment on those reports.
Israeli tanks have probed the edges of Rafah since the IDF took control of the border crossing with Egypt three weeks ago but had not yet entered the city in full force.
International leaders have condemned the Sunday strike that killed dozens of civilians. In a speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Netanyahu said, "In Rafah, we already evacuated about one million non-combatants residents and despite our upmost effort not to harm non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong. We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions because this is our policy."
A statement released by a spokesman for the Biden administration's National Security Council on Monday said, "The devastating images following an IDF strike in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking."
A tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Israel, May 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
The statement continued, "Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians. But as we've been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians. We are actively engaging the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation."
Israel has continued the offensive in Gaza despite the United Nation's International Court of Justice (IJC) ruling Friday that it must halt its military campaign. Israel has said the court's decision leaves some scope for military action.
Spain, Ireland and Norway, meanwhile, will officially recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday, which has outraged Israel, in an attempt to pressure for a ceasefire.
More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel began the campaign after Hamas-led terrorists infiltrated southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and killed around 1,200 people, taking more than 250 captive back to Gaza.
Israel has said its goal in the war is to eradicate Hamas once and for all.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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A competent US President would have urged Israel to act quickly & decisively.
Since we don't have a competent president...
If you are named Bill Ayers or Angela Davis, he's perfect.
And the idiots supporting Hamas claiming civilians are being killed run with this misinformation no questions asked.
I can remember when the media didn't accept civilian casualty reports from Hamas.
I can remember when the media reported FACT.
Who would have ever thought the media here in America would become wall to wall propaganda.
Neither the Israelis nor Hamas know the exact number of casualties.
Israel claimed that there were 60,000 to 70,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza. There were around 2.5 million Gazans.
If Israel has severely damaged Hamas' fighting force like it claims- let's say halved it; that would be 30,000 to 35,000 alone. There is no way with the bombings, shelling, and drone strikes in civilian areas that there isn't at least an equal number of civilians killed. I don't care how "careful" Israel claims they have been. Then there is the death from starvation, exposure, and lack of medical care to be added in.
The exact numbers won't be known until after the fighting stops; and heavy equipment brought in to clear the rubble and dig out the bodies that have been buried. As well as independent observers and aid organizations have a chance to sort everything out. Even then both sides will continue to argue who qualifies as Hamas and who is a civilian.
While that is all going on Israel is conducting terror operation in the West Bank killing Palestinians and driving them from their homes that started well before Oct 7. These Palestinians had nothing to do with Oct 7. They are just Palestinians, so who really cares right?
A competent Israeli leader would have never allowed Oct 7th to happen in the first place.
Moving IDF from the Gaza border to reinforce the West Bank has to rank up there with the stupidest military decisions ever.
Hamas got it's one day victory (another stupid military decision); and Gazans get the dead and destruction of their infrastructure as a reward.
Just another round of mass stupidity in the most dysfunctional sand box in the world.
Wonder how many billions the US will waste restocking Israel's military and trying to rebuild Gaza?
Having Palestinians living on both sides of Israel was the mistake.
Whose mistake was that?
The British? The UN Resolution that divided Israel that both sides ignored? The Israeli's that forced Palestinians out of Israel in the Nakba? The rest of the Arab world that has done nothing but exploit the Palestinians one way or another? The US for making Israel into the ME foremost super power? Or the entire world that seems to let this type of thing happen on a regular basis?
The Israeli government/IDF/settlers and Hezbollah/Hamas/PA deserve each other. Unfortunately civilians on both sides get caught in their never ending circle of violence.
Mistakes have been made since the very start by the British, French, and rest of the western world. Pretending we can fix those mistakes will lead to even more bloodshed.
The Colonialists made promises to get something in return. Those promises were made to Israel as well as its neighbors.
Promises were made to the Palestinians and Arab world as well. The western world fucked those up.
.
We all know which side came out worse on the British/French promises.
that was done on purpose. bibi knew what was coming. it's all about staying in power and out of prison to him now...
Prison? Is he running against fucking Biden?
I heard the same thing about FDR and Pearl Harbor; and Bush Jr and 9/11. The word "intelligence" should be removed from every intelligence agency. Mossad is supposedly the best in the world; but thought the attack was going to come from the West Bank- due to Israel drastically expanding their settlements; and retaliation for settlers killing and driving Palestinians from their homes. It would make sense; except there hasn't been a major attack from the West Bank in Israel since the PA took charge. Either way Oct 7 ranks up there with Pearl Harbor and 9/11 for massive intelligence blunders.
It is for every politician.
Yes, I have heard of all the things Bibi has supposedly illegally done. Accusing him is one thing; bringing charges is another; and actually getting a conviction is in a completely different realm of reality. Think of the Clintons, Obamas, Bidens, and their surrogates in the US being above the law if you want a reference.
Israel cleared Hamas out of the north of Gaza yet Hamas moved back in and there is heavy fighting there again.
Hezbollah is attacking more and aggressively and the West Bank is a mess.
It's an insurgent stupid, Israel is not going to wipe out Hamas or Hezbollah, simple as that and they could have learned from the US. Remember ''we'll bomb them back to the stone age" didn't work then and won't work now.
It creates a whole new generation of insurgents.
... or 2. it's all about keeping the perpetual motion machine of revenge and retribution running ...