Gaza Burns, Israeli Tanks Enter Rafah

GAZA TRACK – Israeli troops have entered the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, as the Zionist colonial regime announced an attack on Hamas in the area.

In a statement on Tuesday morning (6/5/2024), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was conducting “precise counterterrorism operations in the eastern Rafah region in an effort to eliminate Hamas.”

One video released by the IDF shows four Israeli tanks on the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing on the border with Egypt.

Part of the clip appears to be filmed by a soldier sitting on top of one of the armored vehicles.

The IDF also said its forces had “successfully established operational control on the Gaza side of the crossing.”

They added, “Ground troops and air forces have destroyed Hamas military structures in the region,” and claimed to have eliminated around 20 fighters.

According to an unnamed Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official quoted by the Times of Israel, Israeli tanks reached within 200 meters of the Rafah Crossing terminal, which is right on the Egyptian border.

The Egyptian official told the newspaper that “the operation appears to be limited in scope.”

The IDF said it had encouraged local residents to evacuate to the expanded humanitarian area at Al-Mawasi, which is located on the coast and far from the Rafah Crossing.