The IDF reported Thursday morning that troops were engaging terrorists in Rafah's Brazil neighborhood and Al-Shaboura refugee camp, marking the deepest point Israeli forces have operated in the Gaza Strip's southernmost city as they continue pushing westward.
According to the army, 162nd Division forces operating in Rafah located a ready-for-use rocket launcher, while Nahal and Givati Brigade soldiers located and destroyed several tunnels and rocket launchers there, eliminating terrorists in close-quarters encounters. Additionally, Israeli aircraft eliminated three terrorists who were firing mortars at the forces.
IDF forces operating in Rafah
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Earlier, Palestinian news agency Shehab reported exchanges of fire between Hamas operatives and IDF forces in Rafah's Yibna refugee camp, also the furthest west the IDF has reached in the city.
The army also reported that 98th Division forces eliminated several Hamas terrorists in strikes on military buildings used for storing weapons in the heart of the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza as troops also operated in central Gaza.
The International Court of Justice said on Thursday it will rule on Friday, May 24 on South Africa's request to order a halt to the Rafah offensive in Gaza.
In hearings last week South Africa had asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order a halt to Israel's offensive in Gaza, and in Rafah in particular, to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.
The demand for such an emergency measure is part of a larger case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel has denounced South Africa's claim that it is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention, saying it makes a mockery of the crime of genocide. The court has previously rejected Israel's demand to throw out the case and has ordered it to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians.
Reuters contributed to this story.