The strikes came as Israeli forces continued to operate in Khan Younis, to the north of Rafah, with an officer saying Hamas forces in the city had largely been destroyed even as the terror group’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar remained on the loose despite intensive efforts to track him down.
Israeli planes bombed parts of Rafah on Thursday morning, residents said, killing at least 11 people in strikes on two houses, numbers that could not be confirmed. Tanks also shelled some areas in eastern Rafah, intensifying the residents’ fears of an imminent ground assault.
In Washington, the United States issued strident warnings against Israel expanding a large-scale offensive into the city, warning of catastrophic consequences unless civilians sheltering in the city were accounted for.
US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said the US had “yet to see any evidence of serious planning for such an operation,” adding: “To conduct such an operation right now with no planning and little thought in an area” where one million people are sheltering “would be a disaster.” READ MORE
