17 in Gaza refugee camps killed in Israeli air strikes

Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, with residents reporting heavy attacks from tanks and planes

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Israeli air strikes on June 18 killed at least 17 Palestinians in two of the Gaza Strip’s historic refugee camps, as Israeli tanks pushed deeper into the enclave’s southern city of Rafah.

Residents reported heavy bombardments from tanks and planes in several areas of Rafah, where more than a million people took refuge before May. Most of the population have fled northwards since then as Israeli forces invaded the city.

“Rafah is being bombed without any intervention from the world. The occupation (Israel) is acting freely here,” a Rafah resident and father of six told Reuters via a chat app.

Israeli tanks were operating inside the Tel Al-Sultan, Al-Izba and Zurub areas in Rafah’s west, and in Shaboura at the heart of the city. They also continued to occupy the eastern neighbourhoods and outskirts, and the border with Egypt and the key Rafah border crossing.