After Israeli shelling targeted the tents of displaced persons in UNRWA camps west of Rafah, clashes moved to the densely populated center of the city. Israeli tanks advanced towards the center of Rafah, shelling Al-Awda Square. Clashes erupted in the area between Israeli forces and armed Palestinian factions. The occupation army is currently advancing into the center of Rafah and Tal al-Sultan, with little remaining for full control of the Philadelphi Corridor.
Meanwhile, there has been a massive movement of displacement as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left eastern Rafah weeks ago. People are fleeing from areas west of Rafah, wandering aimlessly after a very harsh night during which shelling did not cease for even a moment in the western part of the city, Tal al-Sultan, and al-Suadi.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that several Israeli tanks reached the center of Rafah after three weeks since the beginning of the ground operation in the city located in the southern Gaza Strip. The witnesses stated they saw the tanks near Al-Awda Mosque, one of the main landmarks in the center of Rafah. Simultaneously, UNRWA announced that about a million people have fled Rafah in the past three weeks. They added that the reason for the displacement is the lack of a safe place to go amidst the shelling, food and water shortages, accumulation of waste, and inadequate living conditions.
