JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Friday reported the continuation of its incursion in the southern and central Gaza Strip, amid ongoing mediation efforts to achieve a cease-fire agreement. 

In a statement, the army said “the forces of the 162nd Division continue their operations in the Rafah area in the south, while the forces of the 99th Division continue their operations in the center of the Gaza Strip."

The army claimed that "over the past 24 hours, the army forces have eliminated a number of militants and discovered many weapons and underground tunnel openings."

Simultaneous with the military offensive in Rafah, hundreds of Palestinians on Thursday continued to evacuate from the Al-Mawasi area in Rafah to the west of Khan Younis and the Central Governorate.

In the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army reported on Thursday evening observing several rocket launches toward settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

“Some of these rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome, while the remainder landed in open areas without causing casualties,” it claimed.

The army said its forces attacked the launch sites used to conduct the attacks, adding that it destroyed a weapons depot in the area.

Rocket launches from northern Gaza occurred for the first time since Saturday, when the army reported detecting the launch of two missiles from the Jabalia camp towards the adjacent area. The launch followed shortly after the army's actions in the Nuseirat camp, which led to the deaths of approximately 300 Palestinians.

This occurs while mediators in Qatar and Egypt, supported by the United States of America, continue efforts to negotiate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a hostage exchange and cease-fire in Gaza.

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 37,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 85,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.  

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara