On May 12, the Israeli army launched attacks on the Gaza Strip after extending the order to evacuate people from the city of Rafah.
Two doctors were killed in the town of Deir al-Balah as fierce clashes and heavy fire were heard near Gaza City, the Gaza Civil Defense Authority said.
On May 11, Israel carried out airstrikes on Rafah, an area near the border with Egypt, according to witnesses. Media images showed smoke rising over the city.
Despite international protests, the Israeli army has entered eastern areas of the city of Rafah, closing a key aid route and suspending traffic through another.
Israel has issued a new evacuation order in the eastern Rafah area after saying on May 11 that some 300,000 people had fled to the coastal “humanitarian zone” of the town of Al-Mawasi since the first evacuation order was issued on May 6. However, aid groups and United Nations (UN) officials have warned that the area is overcrowded and not ready to accommodate the influx.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of the risk of a “horrific humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza if Israel launches a full-scale ground offensive in Rafah.