Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Photos: Aftermath of Israeli Airstrikes on the Gazan City of Rafah

13:24, 12 February 2024

Israel has been pounding Rafah for several days in preparation for a ground offensive that aims to root out Hamas. The US and other Western allies of Israel have criticized the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ordering a ground operation in the packed city, warning of an imminent humanitarian disaster.

Sputnik

On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had carried out strikes on "terror targets" in the Shaboura area of the city of Rafah.

The Gaza Health Ministry later revealed that Israeli overnight strikes killed a total of 67 Palestinians, adding that the operation to recover bodies from under the rubble is still ongoing.

More than 230 people in the city were injured in the airstrikes, according to Qatari media.

The city is the last refuge for over a million Palestinians who were told to relocate south during the past four months of the Israeli military operation in the enclave.

Check out Sputnik Africa's gallery covering the city of Rafah after IDF airstrikes.

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Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024 amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. A series of Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza town of Rafah on February 12, 2024 killed 52 people, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry. The strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in different parts of Rafah, according to the Hamas government.

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A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment sits in a hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.

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Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.

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A Palestinian salvages belongings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb.10, 2024.

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Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb.10, 2024.

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Rescue workers survey the scene following Israeli bombardments over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. A series of Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza town of Rafah on February 12, 2024 killed 52 people, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry. The strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in different parts of Rafah, according to the Hamas government.

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People inspect debris and rubble in a building heavily damaged by Israeli bombardment, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

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A Palestinian sits in his house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb.10, 2024.