Gaza: Two days after 45 people were reportedly murdered in an airstrike that prompted an international outcry, Palestinian medics allege that scores more have perished in new Israeli attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday.
The Israeli military declared that it was looking into claims that a refuge for displaced people in western Rafah had been attacked.
Hamas authorities said the attack featured at least four grenades, with unconfirmed estimates putting the death toll at more than 20.
Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Hamas-run health authority in Gaza said a further 18 people were killed overnight in separate Israeli attacks in Rafah. The information could not be independently verified.
Eyewitness reports from Rafah on Tuesday suggested the Israeli army has advanced into the city centre. The Israeli news website Ynet reported that Israeli tanks were deployed in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, which was hit by the airstrike on Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that troops were still being deployed around Rafah and were endeavouring to prevent harm to innocent bystanders.
With inputs from IANS