Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza, surround Rafah neighborhood

Israeli forces have advanced further into the Gaza Strip, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announcing the encirclement of the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, located in the southern part of the enclave.

In an official statement, the IDF confirmed that troops had "encircled" the area overnight, killing "several" militants and raiding what was described as a Hamas command and control centre, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The operation is part of the ongoing military effort to dismantle what the IDF calls terrorist infrastructure and eliminate militants in order to expand the security zone in southern Gaza.

Footage released by the IDF showed troops advancing through the neighborhood with dogs and armored personnel carriers, engaging in gunfire against damaged buildings before entering them.

Social media videos from the area depicted scenes of panic, with women, children, and men fleeing the Rafah neighborhood amidst the fighting.

In addition to operations in Rafah, the IDF spokesperson confirmed that Israeli forces also launched airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, a town in northern Gaza. “Fighter jets struck several Hamas targets and terrorist infrastructure sites,” the spokesperson said.

According to Gaza-based health authorities, at least 41 bodies were brought to hospitals in Gaza in the past 24 hours, with 61 additional people reported as wounded. The latest fatalities bring the death toll from the ongoing conflict to 50,021.

The escalation of Israeli military operations has effectively ended a two-month ceasefire, reigniting full-scale fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that the military’s objective is to destroy Hamas and secure the release of any remaining hostages taken during the conflict.

By Vafa Guliyeva