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In the recent events near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Israeli shelling and airstrikes claimed the lives of at least 37 individuals.

Most of them were found seeking refuge in tents, tragically becoming victims of the conflict. These strikes targeted the same area where a previous incident had resulted in a deadly fire, adding to the distress of displaced Palestinians.

The tent camps extend over 16 kilometers (10 miles) along Gaza’s coastline, covering the beach and spreading into vacant lots, fields, and town streets. Families dig trenches to serve as makeshift toilets.

Residents of Rafah reported that Israeli tanks advanced into Tel Al-Sultan in the west and Yibna and near Shaboura in the center before retreating to a buffer zone along the Egyptian border, instead of remaining in place as they have in previous offensives.

Over the past three weeks, Israel’s offensive in Rafah has forced nearly a million Palestinians to flee the southern Gaza city and disperse across a wide area. Most of these individuals have already been displaced multiple times during Israel’s nearly 8-month-long war in Gaza, which aims to destroy Hamas but has ravaged the territory and led to what the United Nations describes as a near-famine.

The situation has deteriorated further due to a sharp decline in the supply of food, fuel, and other essentials reaching the U.N. and other aid organisations for distribution. As a result, Palestinians have mostly been left to fend for themselves by resettling their families and securing basic necessities for survival.

On Wednesday, Israel sent tanks on raids into Rafah and predicted that its war against Hamas in Gaza would last throughout the year. This followed Washington’s statement that the Rafah assault did not constitute a major ground operation that would prompt a change in US policy.

Israeli tanks advanced into the center of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, disregarding an International Court of Justice order to halt its attacks on the city, where numerous Palestinians had sought refuge from bombardment in other areas.

The World Court stated that Israel had not provided an explanation for how it would ensure the safety of evacuees from Rafah or supply them with food, water, and medicine. The ruling also demanded that Hamas immediately and unconditionally release the hostages taken from Israel on October 7.

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