Rafah strikes intensify as Israel seizes key Gaza-Egypt corridor

Intense shelling and gunfire rocked Rafah in southern Gaza on Thursday, after Israel declared it had seized a strategic corridor along the Palestinian territory's border with Egypt.

Israel launched its military incursion into Rafah in early May despite international objections over the safety of civilians sheltering in the city.

A strike that sparked a fire and killed dozens in a displacement camp at the weekend drew a wave of fresh condemnation.

Israel, which has repeatedly vowed to destroy Hamas after the group attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, said on Wednesday its forces had taken over the 14-kilometer (8.5-mile) Philadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, which it alleges was used for weapons smuggling.

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel had taken "operational control" of the narrow border strip, where he said troops had "discovered around 20 tunnels".

Egypt, a longtime mediator in the conflict, has rejected claims of smuggling tunnels running beneath the buffer zone.

"Israel is using these allegations to justify continuing the operation on the Palestinian city of Rafah and prolonging the war for political purposes," a high-level Egyptian source was quoted as saying by state-linked Al-Qahera News.

Egyptian officials have said a potential Israeli takeover of Philadelphi could violate the two countries' 1979 peace deal, though there has been no official comment from Cairo since the military's announcement.

 Hundreds of demonstrators rallied late Thursday outside a top French television station to protest the broadcast of an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Gaza war.

 Civilians flee Rafah 

In Beijing, Egyptian President Abdel...