Israeli Tanks Plunge Deeper Into Rafah As 500,000 Palestinians Flee

Israeli tanks have been seen plunging deeper into the southern Gaza city of Rafah amid reports that some 500,000 people have fled amid the escalating ground offensive.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have initially focused their operation on the eastern section of the city, having seized a key roadway that essentially cuts Rafah in half. “The tanks advanced this morning west of Salahuddin Road into the Brzail and Jneina neighborhoods. They are in the streets inside the built-up area and there are clashes,” one resident told Reuters via a messaging app. Regional media also reports that “Video on social media showed one tank on George Street in Al-Jneina neighborhood.”

The Guardian also writes Tuesday that “Officials estimate that as many as 500,000 people have fled Rafah since being told to evacuate by the Israel Defense Forces before their first attacks around and in the city a week ago.”

A Monday night CNN report indicated that the Biden administration believes that Israel has now amassed enough ground forces on the edge of Rafah to conduct a full-scale invasion of the city in the next days. However, the report says “senior US officials are currently unsure if it has made a final decision to carry out such a move in direct defiance of President Joe Biden, two senior administration officials told CNN.”