Israeli forces appear to be approaching the center of Rafah city, according to satellite images, which show military vehicles and widespread destruction of neighborhoods more than two and a half miles into Gaza from the Israeli border, as well as Palestinians fleeing the city even outside areas that the Israeli army has said to evacuate.
Israeli troops are still on the eastern side of the city in southern Gaza, according to images captured Wednesday by the commercial satellite company Planet Labs. But they have continued to advance toward central Rafah in recent days, passing the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the Salah al-Din highway, the main artery of Gaza.
Collapsed buildings and debris are seen throughout this neighborhood, where only limited damage was visible before Israel began its incursion last week.
While it is not possible to know exactly what caused the damage in areas of Rafah, much of what is seen is consistent with the aftermath of Israeli bombing and ground operations elsewhere in Gaza since the war began last October.
Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold and a key gateway for weapons shipments smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. He says he is determined to ensure that the militants behind the October 7 attacks on Israel no longer pose a threat.
But Rafah has also been a refuge for more than a million Palestinians who fled Israeli bombings in other parts of Gaza. The United Nations says hundreds of thousands of people have fled Rafah in recent days, and images indicate that large numbers of people are leaving central Rafah, even in areas outside the evacuation orders that the Israeli military has put in place. issued for the city.
Areas of Rafah that just a week ago were packed with tents and vehicles appeared empty on Wednesday.
Christoph Koettl contributed with reports.