Israel Increases Aggression In Gaza: Tanks Entering Balia In North, Air Strike Hits Rafah In South

Israeli armored vehicles in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Tanks continue to move into the largest camp in the northern Gaza region, while airstrikes hit the southern region, as Israeli aggression against the Palestinian enclave was stepped up on Monday.

In Jabalia, tanks are seeking to advance to the heart of the camp, which is the largest of eight historic refugee camps in Gaza. Residents said tank shells landed at the camp center and airstrikes had destroyed a group of houses, reported by Reuters on May 13.

Israeli forces are also said to have forced hundreds of Palestinians living in shelters to leave.

While in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israel stepped up air and land bombings in the city's eastern region, killing many people in airstrikes against a house in settlements.

Residents say Israeli tanks are now stationed to the east of Jalan Salahuddin which divides the eastern part of the city, with the highway cut off due to heavy fighting.

Separately, Hamas' armed wing said their fighters were involved in a shootout with Israeli troops on one of the roads east of Rafah and east of Jabalia.

In Washington, top US officials have again expressed concern over the military's potential for massive attacks on Rafah.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated US opposition to major military ground operations in Rafah in a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to a statement from the US State Department, quoted by CNN.

Meanwhile, Jake Sullivan's National Security Administration "reaffirms President Joe Biden's longstanding concern over the potential for massive military ground operations to Rafah," in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi, the White House said.

Sullivan discussed alternatives to the city's invasion "to ensure Hamas' defeat everywhere in Gaza" with Tzachi Hanegbi.

Earlier, the Israeli military on Saturday night said troops operating in Jabalia were blocking Hamas, which controls Gaza, from rebuilding its military capabilities there.

"They carried out bombings everywhere, including near schools housing people who lost their homes," said Jabalia resident Saed (45).

"The war is restarting, this is what it looks like in Jabalia," he continued.

The latest Hamas-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and holding more than 250 people hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Sunday that about 63 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in the region to _35,034 since the war broke out on October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, about 114 people were injured in the same period, bringing the total number of injured victims since the latest Israeli-Hamas conflict broke out to 78,755 people.

The Israeli side said 620 soldiers died as a result of fighting that had entered day 220, with more than half of them killed in the initial Hamas attack.