Israeli strikes hit parts of Gaza including Rafah amid UN warning of ‘epic’ disaster

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ALSO READ: ‘Fight tooth and nail’: Israel vows to fight alone after US warns to curb arms Bodies covered in white lay on the ground in a courtyard of the facility. A man in a baseball cap leaned over one body bag, clasping a dust-covered hand that protruded. The feet of another corpse poked from under a blanket bearing the picture of a large teddy bear.

In Rafah, witnesses reported intense air strikes near the crossing with Egypt, and AFP images showed smoke rising over the city. Other strikes occurred in north Gaza, witnesses said. Hamas on Saturday accused Israel of "expanding the incursion into Rafah to include new areas in the centre and the west of the city".

Israeli troops on Tuesday seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing -- through which all fuel passes into Gaza -- after ordering residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate. The army said Saturday troops were engaged in "operational activity" at the crossing, where they fought against "armed terrorists" and found "numerous underground tunnel shafts". While mediation efforts towards a truce and hostage release appeared to stall, Hamas's armed wing released a video of a captive seen alive in Gaza -- the third such footage released in less than a month.

ALSO READ: US Pauses Arms Shipment to Israel on Rafah Invasion Concerns The new evacuation order for eastern Rafah, posted on X by military spokesman Avichay Adraee, said the designated areas had "witnessed Hamas terrorist activities in recent days and weeks". The war began with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. During their attack, militants also seized