Israeli military confirms operations being carried out in central Rafah

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Friday it is conducting operations in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. 

Eyewitnesses in recent days have reported seeing IDF tanks in the center of the city, amid international criticism that Rafah is perhaps the last refuse for civilians caught in the roughly seven-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 

“IDF troops in central Rafah located Hamas rocket launchers, terror tunnel shafts, and weapons. The troops also dismantled a Hamas weapons storage facility in the area,” the IDF said in the statement, eyewitnesses have told CNN.

The incursion into Rafah marks a new phase in Israel’s war against Hamas. Citing health officials in the enclave, CNN reports the war has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, displaced the population in the area, and sparked what at least some international relief agencies consider a humanitarian crisis.