Israeli Tanks Enter Rafah

The armoured vehicles approached at a distance of 200 meters to the border with Egypt.

On the night of Tuesday, May 7, Israel Defence Forces tanks entered the town of Rafah on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt in the south of the Palestinian enclave, the Associated Press reported, citing Egyptian and Palestinian officials.

The report said Israeli tanks entered Rafah shortly after Israel began airstrikes on Rafah and came within 200 metres of the border crossing with Egypt.

The previous day, Hamas militants killed four Israeli soldiers during a mortar attack that Israel claimed was carried out near the Rafah crossing.

Israeli soldiers and tanks are approaching the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing after fighting in the so-called Philadelphia Corridor on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.

The Philadelphi Corridor is the Israeli code name for a 14 kilometre long narrow strip of land along the entire border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

An Egyptian official says the operation appears to be limited in scope. He says Israeli officials have told the Egyptians that troops will be withdrawn after the pinpoint operation is completed.