The Israeli military is pressing deeper into Rafah to fight against Hamas as tensions have soared between the U.S. and Israel over the potential for major fighting in Gaza’s southernmost city that is sheltering some 1.3 million Palestinians.
The Israeli army reported Sunday that troops are conducting “precise operations” in specific areas of eastern Rafah. Israeli forces have dismantled tunnel shafts and rocket launchers and killed at least 10 Hamas fighters, according to the army.
Israel issued evacuation orders for eastern Rafah on Saturday and claims that 300,00 Palestinians have moved to a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, a small town on the coast of Gaza.
Israel first moved into Rafah last week, seizing a border crossing with Egypt that has been crucial for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The operations appear to still be limited. The U.S. is warning against a major operation in Rafah, as President Biden is holding up some 3,500 heavy bombs over concerns about their use in the densely populated city.
Biden has drawn a red line on Rafah, saying he will not support an operation there and would not provide offensive weapons for such an attack, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would fight on alone if needed.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated the U.S. threat that further weapons shipments could be suspended if Israel launches a wider operation into Rafah.
“What we’ve been clear about is that if Israel launches this major military operation into Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation,” he told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Despite the rift, Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, arrived in Israel over the weekend to coordinate and discuss the war against Hamas.
Israeli forces also returned to fight in northern Gaza in areas the military had previously cleared of Hamas, underscoring the resiliency of the Palestinian militant group despite intense pressure from Israel.
Palestinian news agencies reported heavy bombardment at the Jabalia refugee camp, with clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas near schools.
The Israeli army said on Telegram it moved into Jabalia “based on intelligence information regarding attempts by Hamas to reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the area” and also reported operations in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City, which had been previously cleared months ago.
Israel has repeatedly returned to areas it has cleared of Hamas fighters to fight a resurgence, but fighting in the north largely ended at the end of 2023, before Israeli troops turned to focus on the south, including the city of Khan Younis.
The fighting comes as United Nations has said there is a full-blown famine in northern Gaza and as the rest of the territory struggles to access basic supplies such as food and water.
After seizing the Rafah checkpoint, Israel now controls all of the humanitarian aid border crossings. The Israeli army claimed Sunday that it opened another crossing, western Erez, the third such checkpoint in northern Gaza after eastern Erez and Gate 96.
But the United Nations warned over the weekend that food distribution was expected to run out Sunday.
“That means people will be left only with what has already been distributed,” said Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said fuel supplies are running low, forcing local bakeries to shut down, while the few remaining hospitals are also at risk of suspending operations.
“The IRC urgently calls on Israel to halt further violence in Rafah and across the Gaza Strip,” the humanitarian aid group said on the social platform X. “It is imperative that all viable crossing points are opened immediately to ensure unfettered access to more than two million Palestinians in desperate need.”