At least 12 people have been killed in attacks by the Israeli army in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian reports.
Israeli tanks, supported by warplanes and drones, advanced deeper into the western part of the city on Wednesday, residents and Palestinian medics said. In the process, 12 people were killed. It was initially unclear whether they were civilians or fighters.
The information could not be independently verified. When asked, Israel's army said it was investigating the reports.
On Wednesday, Israeli sirens sounded near the Gaza Strip. The army said that this was because a drone had entered Israel from the coastal area. It crashed in Israeli territory near the Gaza Strip.
The war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people killed by terrorists from Hamas and other groups in Israel on October 7.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, at least 37,396 people have been killed and a further 85,523 injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified.