Locals reported that Israeli soldiers advanced on the Al-Mawasi neighborhood of Rafah, which is close to the shore and marked as a humanitarian area on all announcements and maps released by the Israeli army since the start of the Rafah offensive in May.
In a statement, the Israeli military denied having carried out any strikes inside the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi.
Read more: Israel Strikes Gaza as Troops Advance into Central Rafah
Rafah, a metropolis that had housed more than a million people prior to the most recent advance, was the target of Israel’s attack, which it claimed was intended to destroy Hamas’ last combat formations. Now, the majority of those individuals have relocated to the central Gaza Strip, near Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah.
In a statement, the Israeli military said that it was still conducting “intelligence-based, targeted operations” against Rafah, citing previous military actions.
Much of Gaza is in ruins, and Israel has declared that peace will not come until Hamas is destroyed. However, Hamas has shown to be tenacious, reappearing to battle in regions where Israeli troops had earlier conceded and withdrew their claims of victory.