Israel sends tanks into Rafah as US says actions not a major ground offensive
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00:00More Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza overnight, including in the territory's north center and in
00:05Rafa, according to local journalists. It comes after Sunday's strike, which killed at least 45
00:11people sheltering in tents in the southern city, prompting outrage from many international
00:16leaders. Well, U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned Israel against launching a
00:22major military operation in Rafa. And earlier this month, he said he'd limit weapons supplies
00:27to Israel if it entered the city's population centers. However, his administration insisted
00:34Tuesday that that hadn't happened yet and Washington's red lines had not been crossed.
00:42We still don't believe that a major ground operation in Rafa is warranted. We still don't
00:47want to see the Israelis, as we say, smash into Rafa with large units over large pieces of
00:54territory. We still believe that. And we haven't seen that at this point. But we're going to be
00:58watching this, of course, very, very closely. A little earlier, we spoke to France 24's
01:03Rob Parsons in Jerusalem about what's happening on the ground.
01:08I think what they mean by that in Washington is this operation in Rafa isn't on the scale of the
01:14one that we saw earlier in Khan Yunis, for instance, or in Gaza City. Nothing like the
01:19same number of army brigades being used. And Israel has planned it better in advance by
01:26ordering people to evacuate Rafa in advance, as it has in turn advanced towards the center of the
01:32city. So there have been less civilian casualties this time around, although the evacuation centers
01:39are overflowing with refugees. On the ground, what we're seeing at the moment, Israel moving
01:44bit by bit through eastern Rafa. They're moving now into the center. There have been reports of
01:50several tanks seen near a central mosque in Rafa. They've taken control over a hill looking over the
01:57city. And they've taken control pretty much of the entire Philadelphia corridor, which runs along
02:03the border between Gaza and Egypt, just across the border. So the Israelis are progressing.
02:10They say they're achieving their objectives. For the population living in Rafa, it's misery.
02:16It's dangerous to stand outside on the street for risk of being attacked by Israeli drones.
02:23The conditions on the ground are awful. But Israel is insistent that it is achieving its goals,
02:29not by a major offensive, but by a gradual phased attack, which is taking control gradually of Rafa.