IDF tanks roll into central Rafah in unprecedented thrust into city

Several Israeli tanks have reportedly reached Rafah city center on Tuesday, eyewitnesses told Reuters. 

The tanks were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, the witnesses said.

The Jerusalem Post contacted the IDF, but the Israeli military declined to comment on the development, choosing instead to defer the Reuters report.

This report comes as IDF troops continued to operate in the Rafah area overnight. IDF soldiers operated along the Philadelphi Corridor while conducting precise operations based on intelligence indicating terror targets. 

Four IDF brigades operate in Rafah 

KAN reported that four IDF brigades operated in Rafah in the past day and began expanding the ground maneuver into new areas, including central Rafah. These include the 401st Armored Brigade, the Nahal Brigade, the 12th Brigade, and the Bislach Brigade that entered Rafah overnight. 

This news follows extensive reports that the IDF succeeded in evacuating around 950,000 Palestinian civilians in only two weeks since May 6. 

Around 30-40% of Rafah is now under IDF control, not merely a small portion of the eastern sector, and about 60-70% of Rafah has been completely evacuated.

Rafah hospitals shut down 

The IDF push into central Rafah comes amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the southern Gazan city. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry stated on Tuesday that both the Indonesian Field Hospital and the Tal Al-Sultan Clinic in Rafah have closed, leaving only the Tal Al-Sultan Maternity Hospital open. 

Yonah Jeremy Bob and Reuters contributed to this report.