Israeli forces step up bombardment across Gaza

Shelling forces new wave of displacement from Rafah, as tanks enter city's west and north

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Israeli forces pounded Rafah and other areas across the Gaza Strip on June 21 as exchanges of fire and threats over the Lebanon border raised fears of a wider war.

Residents said the Israelis appeared to be trying to complete their capture of Rafah, the city on the enclave's southern edge that has been the focus of an Israeli assault since early May.

Tanks were forcing their way into the western and northern parts of the city, having already captured the east, south and centre. Israeli forces fired from planes, tanks and ships off the coast, forcing a new wave of displacement from the city, which has been sheltering more than a million displaced people, most of whom have been forced to flee again.

Palestinian health officials said at least 12 Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli military strikes on June 21.

The Israeli military said its forces were conducting "precise, intelligence-based" actions in Rafah, where troops were involved in close-quarters combat and had located tunnels used by militants. It also reported actions elsewhere in the enclave.

Some Rafah residents said the pace of the Israeli raid has accelerated in the past two days. They said sounds of explosions and gunfire indicating fierce fighting have been almost non-stop.