Israeli Tanks March Towards Center of Rafah

On Tuesday, Israeli tanks marched towards the center of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, as tens of thousands of residents fled to evade an Israeli ground offensive.

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The tanks had reached the Al-Geneina neighborhood and were advancing towards the city center amid heavy gunfire.

Nearly 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Rafah since May 6, said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"People face constant exhaustion, hunger and fear. Nowhere is safe. An immediate ceasefire is the only hope", UNRWA pointed out. 

Previously, on Monday, Israel army's gunfire killed a United Nations staffer and injured another UN employee in Rafah. They were traveling in a vehicle belonging to the UN and bearing UN flags and markings when they were hit.

UN Secretary Antonio Guterres said that he was "deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer when their UN vehicle was struck as they traveled to the European Hospital in Rafah this morning."

The health authorities in Gaza reported 57 deaths and 82 injuries in the besieged enclave on Monday. These figures bring to 35,901 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces since October 2023.