Image source, REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A large number of people have been killed in an attack on a relief camp for Palestinian refugees after Israeli troops entered Rafah, a village in southern Gaza.
The series of shelling and explosions continues in the city.
News agencies Reuters and AFP have quoted Palestinian officials as saying that 21 people have been killed in the blast. The Hamas-run Health Ministry says 64 people have been injured in the attack.
Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh described today’s attack on Rafah as a “massacre”, reports news agency Wafa.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has captured an important hill in the city of Rafah. This hill is considered strategically important. From here the nearby border with Egypt is visible.
IDF statement
Image source, IDF
In the footage coming on social media, the scene of the incident can be seen after this blast.
After analysing the footage, BBC has found that it appears to be from today but we cannot confirm where the blast took place. We are investigating the incident and as soon as we have more information, we will share it with you.
The Israeli military says it is investigating the possibility that the blast at the relief camp was caused by an air strike on an arms depot.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the two shells used in the attack were so small in size that they could not have caused such a large explosion on their own.
He also said that the targets of the airstrike were two senior Hamas commanders who were present outside the area which Israel has marked as a humanitarian area.
The United Nations Security Council is going to hold an emergency meeting on this issue soon.
What Gaza officials say
Image source, HAITHAM IMAD/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Gaza officials say Israel carried out this attack on a relief camp for displaced Palestinians.
The emergency service said four artillery shells hit some tents in Al Mawasi.
Al Mawasi was marked by Israel as a safe area for Palestinians.
Earlier, Israeli tanks reached the middle of Rafah city for the first time.
Locals and journalists said that the Israeli army has established its control over a major intersection of the city. This place houses offices of banks and government departments.
Smoke billows from a mosque in Rafah
Image source, SOCIAL MEDIA
Videos shared on Arabic social media showed smoke coming out of the Taiba Mosque in Rafah.
This mosque is located at a place called Tal As Sultan, which is about four kilometers away from Al-Awda Square.
This mosque is one and a half kilometres away from the Kuwaiti camp where 46 people were killed in the air strike on Sunday.
BBC Verify confirms that the video is from this morning.
The BBC has learned that the video was first posted at around 8am local time.
It was posted from a social media account called ‘Eye on Palestine’.
Claims are being made that this smoke is the result of a cannon attack but we have not found any evidence of this as of now.
Tank marks on the roads
Image source, Telegram
Israeli tanks have arrived in the heart of Rafah. Footage of tanks in the city center is being shared on Arabic-language Telegram channels this morning.
The above picture is taken from one such video. This is Abu Bakar Al Sadiq Road opposite the Temraz Petrol Station.
It is 300 metres from the Indonesian field hospital, which suffered some damage last night.
In the same video, when the camera rotates to the left, smoke is seen coming out from the middle of the city.
The BBC is sure that this video is from this morning. No other such video has been found.
Also, the clouds seen in the video match the weather there because in recent days there have been hardly any clouds in the sky of Rafah.
