Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes near an area previously sheltering displaced Palestinians who had moved from Rafah towards Khan Yunis on June 20, 2024, in the southern Gaza Strip. The conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate in the Palestinian territory.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 35 Palestinians have been killed and 130 wounded in the past 24 hours.
Israeli tanks and drones have advanced into Rafah’s western neighborhoods, resulting in an attack that claimed the lives of at least nine Palestinians and injured 30 others.
An Israeli military spokesperson emphasized the difficulty of combating Hamas, describing it as an ideology rather than a straightforward military adversary. This statement contrasts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated assertions that Israel will persist in its campaign until Hamas is defeated.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates that only 65,000 people remain in Rafah, down from over one million who sought shelter before the Israeli military’s advance on the southern city.
As of now, the death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7 stands at least 37,431 people killed and 85,653 injured. In Israel, the revised death toll from Hamas-led attacks is 1,139, with dozens still held captive in Gaza.