Israeli forces look like pushing nearer to the middle of the town of Rafah, based on satellite tv for pc imagery, which reveals navy automobiles and widespread destruction of neighborhoods greater than two and a half miles into Gaza from the Israeli border, in addition to Palestinians fleeing the town even outdoors of areas the Israeli navy has mentioned to evacuate.
Israeli troops are nonetheless on the jap aspect of the town in southern Gaza, based on the imagery, captured on Wednesday by the business satellite tv for pc firm Planet Labs. However they’ve continued to maneuver towards central Rafah in latest days, passing the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and Salah al-Din street, Gaza’s major artery.
Collapsed buildings and particles are seen all through this neighborhood, the place solely restricted harm was seen earlier than Israel began its incursion final week.
Whereas it isn’t potential to know precisely what brought on the harm in areas all through Rafah, a lot of what’s seen is in keeping with the aftermath of Israeli bombardment and floor operations elsewhere in Gaza because the warfare started final October.
Israel says Rafah is Hamas’s final stronghold, and a important gateway for arms shipments smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. It says it’s decided to verify the militants who have been behind the Oct. 7 assaults on Israel now not pose a risk.
However Rafah has additionally been a refuge for greater than 1,000,000 Palestinians who fled Israeli bombardment in different components of Gaza. The United Nations says that tons of of hundreds of individuals have fled Rafah in latest days, and the imagery signifies that giant numbers of individuals are leaving the middle of Rafah, even in areas outdoors of evacuation orders the Israeli navy has issued for the town.
Areas of Rafah that have been stuffed with tents and automobiles only a week in the past appeared empty on Wednesday.
Christoph Koettl contributed reporting.
