ISRAELI tanks have reportedly reached Rafah city centre as a large operation is carried out despite international warnings for Israel’s offensive to stop.
It comes a day after an Israeli strike left dozens dead amid reports that people were “burning alive” in a camp for displaced people.
The attack was met with international condemnation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs now reporting that more than one million people have been displaced in the south and north of the Gaza Strip since May 6.
According to Reuters, Israeli tanks have now entered Rafah city centre, citing reports from witnesses on the ground.
It was also reported that seven civilians were killed and six others injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting a house in the north of Rafah.
Palestinian media reported ambulance and rescue crews recovered the bodies of seven people and six more wounded under the rubble of the house in the Oraiba area of the city.
Elsewhere, the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron (above) has called on the Israeli military to launch an investigation into the Rafah air strikes that killed dozens of people and that it be “swift, comprehensive and transparent”.
Writing on Twitter/X, he said: “Deeply distressing scenes following the air strikes in Rafah this weekend.
“The IDF’s investigation must be swift, comprehensive and transparent. We urgently need a deal to get hostages out and aid in, with a pause in fighting to allow work towards a long-term sustainable ceasefire.”
Last month, Cameron said arms sales to Israel by British companies still won’t stop despite pressure to do so after he said he reviewed the latest legal advice on the matter.
The UN Security Council is also set to convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday over the Israeli strike on Sunday night after it was met with a wave of international condemnation.
In the aftermath of the attack, John Swinney urged Rishi Sunak to follow Ireland, Spain and Norway in recognising Palestinian statehood, saying the SNP would force a vote on the matter if the two leaders failed to do so.
