Israeli strikes on a tent camp in an evacuation area west of Rafah killed at least 21 on Tuesday,
Gaza
authorities alleged, and tanks advanced to the heart of the southern Gaza city for the first time after a night of heavy
bombardment
.
Two days after an Israeli
air strike
on another camp stirred global condemnation, Gaza emergency services said four tank shells hit a cluster of tents in Al-Mawasi, a coastal area that Israel had advised civilians in Rafah to move to for safety.
At least 12 of the dead were women, according to
Hamas
health officials. But Israel's military said: "Contrary to the reports, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) did not strike in the humanitarian area". Tuesday's alleged attack occurred in an area designated by Israel as an expanded humanitarian zone, to which it had called on civilians in Rafah to evacuate for their safety when it launched its incursion in early May.
Defying an appeal from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week for a halt to Israel's assault, tanks and armoured vehicles mounted with machineguns were spotted near Al-Awda mosque in central Rafah, witnesses said. The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the area, without commenting on reported advances into the city centre.
International unease over Israel's three-week-old
Rafah offensive
has turned to outrage after an attack on Sunday set off a blaze in a tent camp in a western district of the city, killing 45 people. Residents said Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood, the scene of Sunday's night strike in which tents and shelters were set ablaze as families settled down to sleep, was still being bombarded.
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