Israeli tanks advance farther into Gaza’s refugee-packed Rafah

World Court to hold hearings on request for new emergency measures over the incursion

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Israeli tanks forged deeper into eastern Rafah, reaching some residential districts on May 14, stepping up an offensive in the southern border city where more than a million people have been sheltering after being displaced in seven months of war.

Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly urged against a ground incursion into refugee-packed Rafah, warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.

The World Court, also known as the International Court of Justice, said it would hold hearings on May 16 and 17 to discuss a request by South Africa seeking new emergency measures over the Rafah incursion, which Qatar says has stalled efforts to reach a ceasefire.

South Africa's demand is part of a case it brought against Israel, accusing it of violating the genocide convention in Gaza, and which Israel has called baseless.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Jassim Al-Thani said Israel's operations in Rafah have set back efforts at trying to reach a ceasefire in talks that are being mediated by Qatar and Egypt, although it would continue to negotiate.