Satellite images show two new tent encampments in southern Gaza as reports suggest Israel’s military is preparing for an offensive in the city of Rafah.

FOREIGN

Satellite images show two new tent encampments in southern Gaza as reports suggest Israel’s military is preparing for an offensive in the city of Rafah.

Rafah, by the border with Egypt, is the only city in Gaza it has not yet entered. Over a million people have been sheltering there for months.

The US has said a plan to protect them must be in place before any offensive.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu insists entering Rafah is necessary to defeat Hamas and search for hostages.

The current war began when Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza, killing about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent campaign of aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza has killed 34,183 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.

Over the six months of war, the Israel Defense Forces -IDF have entered and taken control of all of northern Gaza including Gaza City and most of central and southern Gaza including the main southern city of Khan Younis.