Israeli bombing kills dozens of Palestinians across Gaza as fighting intensifies

Israeli forces bombed the city of Rafah on Friday in the southern Gaza Strip as they clashed with Hamas, killing at least 45 Palestinians.

Residents said that Israeli forces appear to be trying to complete their control over the city of Rafah, which is located on the border with Egypt and has been the focus of an Israeli attack since early May.

Tanks are making their way to the western and northern parts of the city, having already captured the city's east, south and centre. 

Israeli forces opened fire from planes, tanks and ships off the coast, leading to a new wave of displacement from the city, which was housing more than a million displaced people, most of whom were forced to flee again.

Palestinian health officials said later on Friday that at least 25 were killed in the Mawasi area, west of Rafah, as a result of what Palestinians said was tank shelling that hit a tent housing displaced families.

Health officials announced that at least 45 Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks on Friday.

The Israeli army stated that it was carrying out "precise operations based on intelligence information" in the Rafah area, where its forces engaged in direct clashes and found tunnels used by Hamas.

Some Rafah residents said that the pace of the Israeli attack has accelerated over the past two days. They added that the sounds of explosions and gunfire indicated violent fighting continuing almost without stopping.