“Israel” Responds to Hamas Acceptance of Ceasefire Proposal by Carpet-Bombing Rafah

By Staff, Agencies

As part of the non-stop aggression on besieged Gaza, the “Israeli” occupation launched an extensive offensive in Rafah Monday overnight.

The aggression began at midnight and saw airstrikes targeting over fifty sites in the area.

A Palestinian journalist reported flares in the night sky, while locals said dozens of reconnaissance drones flew overhead.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Egyptian media said “Israeli” military vehicles advanced towards the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, as well as the Karem Salem [Shalom] crossing with the “Israeli”-occupied territories.

The “Israeli” military published footage of its tanks taking control of the Gazan side of the Rafah Crossing on the Egyptian border on Tuesday morning.

A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian authority have told the Associated Press news agency that “Israeli” tanks have entered Rafah, reaching as close as 200 meters from Rafah’s border crossing with neighboring Egypt.

Earlier, “Israeli” prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has also said “‘Israel’ is continuing the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas" in order to advance the release of captives and what it called "the other objectives of the war."

In the meantime, it described the proposal on ceasefire as “far from ‘Israel's’ essential demands," but added that it would send negotiators for talks “to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement.”