A Palestinian reacts amidst the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Rafah refugee camp, in the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023. (Photo by Mohammed Abed / AFP)
Palestinians described intense bombardments early Tuesday near two towns in southern Gaza, where Israel had ordered civilians to seek refuge.
The heaviest bombardments occurred in three areas in the south of Gaza - Khan Younis, Rafah and Deir el-Balah.
At least 71 people have been killed in an overnight bombardment, Ministry of Health officials say.
Thousands of people trying to escape Gaza are gathered in Rafah, which has the territory’s only border crossing to Egypt. Mediators are pressing for an agreement to let aid in and refugees with foreign passports out.
Aid workers warned that life in Gaza was near complete collapse because of the Israeli siege.
The war that began Oct. 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.
