Israel-Hamas war: Israel steps up strikes across Gaza, prepares for Rafah offensive

As its war with Hamas rages on, Israel has intensified strikes across Gaza, in what was believed to be one of the heaviest shellings in weeks. The country’s army has also ordered fresh evacuations in the north of the enclave, warning civilians they were in a “dangerous combat zone”.

According to the Associated Press, Israel was also planning an offensive on the city of Rafah as satellite images showed a new compound of tents being built near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza, aimed at eliminating Hamas, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. It has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities, created a humanitarian crisis and led around 80 per cent of the territory’s population to flee to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave.