Rafah witnesses most violent Israeli bombings since war on Gaza began
Smoke billows following an Israeli bombardment on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024. (AFP)
Gaza experienced violent Israeli strikes throughout Monday night, with the small city of Rafah witnessing the heaviest bombardment since the genocidal war on the Strip began last October.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli forces concentrated their attacks on the western part of Rafah, unleashing relentless airstrikes and shelling that persisted for hours without pause, resulting in dozens of martyrs and wounded.
Forcibly displaced families were also entrapped due to the nonstop bombing preventing rescue teams and medics from reaching them.
Read more: 'Israel' commits gruesome massacre in Rafah alleged safe zone
The vicinity of the Emirati Hospital in western Rafah was heavily targeted by Israeli artillery, while quadcopters roamed around the facility opening fire at civilians and journalists trying to flee the area.
Israeli military vehicles stormed the area covered by intense shelling, which directly hit several homes.
Occupation forces also stormed the cemetery of the Zaarib family and exhumed a number of graves.
Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted the Tell al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah with dozens of shells, two of which hit houses in the Saudi neighborhood.
Read more: UNSC emergency meeting on Tuesday after Israeli Rafah massacre: AP
The occupation forces shelled the Indonesian field hospital, while aircraft simultaneously targeted ambulances and civil defense crews near the Tell al-Sultan police station.
Forces fired shells and opened fire at the Tell al-Sultan clinic, trapping the medical staff and over 70 displaced persons inside.
Several people were martyred as a result of Israeli attacks on tents sheltering forcibly displaced families in Tell al-Sultan. Meanwhile, due to artillery shelling, a fire broke out in the Abu Marqa residential building and nearby agricultural greenhouses.
Read more: Spanish defense minister calls war on Gaza 'real genocide'
Palestinian families sheltered in the targeted areas were unable to flee due to the nonstop Israeli strikes.
Additionally, helicopters directed heavy machine gunfire at the eastern and southeastern areas of Rafah.
The Israeli forces launched fire belts targeting the Brazil neighborhood in eastern Rafah, causing fires in the area. They also targeted the Yebna and Shaboura refugee camps in the city center.
Heavy confrontations
Amid the violent Israeli attacks on western Rafah, Palestinian Resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces engaged in fierce confrontations near the Zaarib roundabout.
Central Rafah City also witnessed intense battles, particularly around the al-Awda Mosque, the southern outskirts of the Yebna refugee camp, and al-Geneina neighborhood in the eastern part of Rafah.
The Israeli bombardment extended to central Gaza, targeting a house belonging to the Ghanem family in al-Bureij camp multiple times, resulting in several injuries. The Nuseirat camp and al-Maghazi camp were also heavily bombed while quadcopters roamed the areas.
Eastern Khan Younis Governorate was also targeted by Israeli attacks.
In the al-Daraj neighborhood, the occupation targeted a house belonging to the al-Ghosein family, resulting in the martyrdom and wounding of several people, while others remain missing under the rubble.
The occupation also conducted strikes on the al-Zawaida town and shelled eastern Deir al-Balah and eastern al-Zaytoun neighborhoods.
Violent airstrikes and demolitions were also reported across northern Gaza.
In Jabalia, Israeli forces demolished residential buildings in the al-Falouja area, while war jets conducted strikes at the Abu Sharekh roundabout accompanied by heavy gunfire from quadcopters.
A number of Palestinians were martyred and wounded in Beit Hanoun due to Israeli artillery attacks near Al-Sikka Street in the western part of the city.
Read more: International pressure mounts on 'Israel' over Gaza, hinting isolation