Israeli Tanks Advance in Rafah Amid Bombing of Central Gaza

As Israel intensifies its military operations in the Gaza Strip, reports indicate the bombing of historic Palestinian refugee camps in the center of the enclave. Reuters reported on Thursday, July 18, that the Israeli army bombed the two historic camps of Al-Bureij and Nuseirat in central Gaza and various areas in the north of the strip, resulting in 21 deaths. Local officials also reported the advance of Israeli tanks in southern Rafah. On the same day, the Israeli army announced the death of two senior Islamic Jihad commanders in airstrikes in Gaza, stating that one of these commanders participated in the October 7 attack by the extremist group Hamas on southern Israel. Guterres: Israel is condemning the 'two-state' solution to failure in the West Bank. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The Israeli army also reported the discovery of several tunnels in Rafah and stated that several armed men were killed in the tank assaults. In response to these attacks, the Islamic Jihad group announced on Thursday that it had fired missiles at two areas in southern Israel, and the military branch of the extremist group Hamas also reported launching mortar bombs at Israeli forces in Rafah. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to speak at the U.S. Congress next week, made an unexpected visit to his country's soldiers in the Rafah area, stating, 'Military pressure, along with diplomatic efforts to bring back 120 hostages still in Gaza, has yielded results.' According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, he emphasized that this additional pressure does not delay the agreement but is advancing it. Health officials in the Gaza Strip, which is under Hamas control, report that at least 38,848 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory Israeli attacks since the beginning of the current war. Israel claims that 326 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza.