Eurasia Press & News
The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that its forces had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army stated that its 401st Armored Brigade had taken “operational control” of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side.
It is further mentioned that Israeli forces are conducting a “clearing operation” in the eastern areas of Rafah that they have taken over, and it is reported that they have killed 20 Palestinian armed attackers.
A spokesperson for the Palestinian border crossings had earlier confirmed that the border was closed from the Palestinian side.
A video shared by Israeli media shows an Israeli tank at the Rafah crossing.
After the announcement by the Palestinian group Hamas about accepting the Qatari-Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli war cabinet decided to continue the operation in Rafah in order to, as they stated, “apply military pressure on Hamas to advance in the release of hostages and other war objectives.”
The Israeli army issued an urgent order to evacuate Palestinians in the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah and called on them to relocate to the city of al-Mawasi in southern Gaza.
Rafah is home to more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians who fled the war initiated by Israel after Hamas’ attack on October 7, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.
Since then, more than 34,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks, causing a humanitarian catastrophe.
Nearly seven months after the start of the Israeli war, large parts of Gaza lie in ruins, with 85 percent of the enclave’s population internally displaced.
Israel has been accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice. In a provisional ruling in January, Tel Aviv was ordered to halt genocidal acts and take measures to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, according to Anadolu Agency.
