File photo: Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah. AFP
Local sources told Quds News Network that two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the Abu Halawa area east of Rafah. They were identified as Mahmoud Hussein Farhan Al-Hassi and Mahdi Abdullah Nadi Jargon.
A third, 53-year-old Abdul Monem Ali Hamdan Qishta, was shot inside his home by a "quadcopter" drone in the Tanour neighbourhood, also east of Rafah.
Israeli tanks fired heavily near the Rafah crossing, while sound grenades were launched at homes in the Al-Salam neighbourhood. Israeli drones also targeted homes in Gaza City’s Shejaiya area.
Meanwhile, Israel has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza by keeping the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in the southeast closed for a seventh consecutive day.
The closure of all crossings comes as Israel seeks to pressure Hamas into extending the first stage of the ceasefire deal instead of transitioning to the second stage, which would involve negotiations on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a permanent end to the war.
The first stage of the ceasefire, which lasted 42 days, ended in early March. Still, Israel has rejected moving to the second stage, aiming to avoid the military and humanitarian obligations outlined in the agreement while collectively punishing the Gazan population.
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