The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued their operation in Gaza's Rafah on Saturday despite extensive international criticism.
Soldiers found numerous weapons, tunnels and rockets in the town in the south of the Gaza Strip, the IDF said, adding that the army's operations were precise and based on intelligence findings.
Israel deems Rafah the last stronghold of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which triggered the current conflict in Gaza after killed hundreds of civilians in Israel in the October 7.
The latest attacks come one day after US President Joe Biden unveiled a new proposal from Israel to end the war and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
Fighting also continued in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, where dozens of Palestinians have been killed there over the past two days. The IDF said they were terrorists.
Several key members of Hamas have reportedly been killed in Gaza in recent days, including a man who was involved in planning terrorist attacks in Israel and the West Bank.
None of the information could initially be independently verified.
In view of the high number of civilian victims and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel is facing mounting criticism abroad, with many condemning the operation in densely-crowded Rafah in particular.
A week ago, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt the military operation in Rafah immediately.
The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza says 36,379 people have been killed in the territory since the beginning of the current conflict.
Amid discussion of the future of Gaza and prospects for peace in the region, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke of the possibility of Germany participating in a protection force for the Gaza Strip.
"Just as we have made it clear to Ukraine that we stand up for their freedom and for their peace, I believe this also applies to the Middle East," she said. "If what is needed now is not just reconstruction, but an international protection force that guarantees that we finally, finally achieve peace in the Middle East, then that is also our common mission."
A humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war was within the realms of possibility, said Baerbock, speaking in the Germany city of Potsdam, near Berlin.
This would have to include a cessation of Hamas attacks, the release of Israeli hostages and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, she said.
Earlier, Baerbock spoke of how much Germany owes to its European neighbours, the European Union and the former opponents from World War II.
"The fact that we can live freely and in peace in the heart of Europe is because others were there for us," she said.