Throughout the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Israeli soldiers engaged in direct action with Hamas resistance fighters in several parts of the southern city of Rafah, killing at least 35 Palestinians through aircraft and ground bombardments, according to Reuters.
Thousands more bodies are thought to be buried beneath the debris, adding to the more than 35,000 dead from Israel's invasion of Gaza.
According to residents, Israeli tanks continued to operate in three eastern suburbs while moving southeastward and into the western Yibna district of Rafah.
"The occupation is trying to move further to the west, they are on the edge of Yibna, which is densely populated. They didn't invade it yet," one resident said, asking not to be named.
He told Reuters via Chatapp "We hear explosions and we see black smoke coming up from the areas where the army has invaded. It was another very difficult night."
This month, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes as a result of simultaneous Israeli attacks on Gaza's northern and southern borders. These attacks have also cut off the major channels for food, increasing the possibility of hunger.
Israel believes that battalions of Hamas freedom fighters are hiding in Rafah and are attacking the area to drive them out. Since the beginning of the month, its forces have been gradually infiltrating Rafah's eastern outskirts.
Despite international calls for caution, UNRWA, the primary United Nations agency in Gaza, reported on Monday that more than 800,000 people have left Rafah since Israel started attacking the city in early May.
Simultaneously, Israeli soldiers intensified their ground assault in Jabalia, razing multiple civilian districts, and targeted Beit Hanoun town, which is close, to locations where Israel had proclaimed large operations months prior. Israel said it had to go back to stop Hamas from gathering there.
In a statement, the Israeli military announced that its soldiers had started carrying out focused operations in Beit Hanoun.
According to military reports, three troops lost their lives on Wednesday.
