May 29
Palestinian residents of the southern Gaza city of Rafah have reported an escalation of fighting on Tuesday (Wednesday morning AEST) as Israeli forces pressed their assault on the border town once seen as the territory's last refuge.
Many civilians have been forced to flee their homes amid the military operation.
Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border, as the United States and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city.
But Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside Rafah overnight and on Tuesday— pummelling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians — according to witnesses, emergency workers and hospital officials.
The Israeli Defence Forces continue to deploy a huge array of military hardware in and over Rafah.
Here an Israeli fighter jet releases flares, and a drone is seen from Rafah.
Fighting in Rafah has caused more than 1 million Palestinians to flee, most of whom had already been displaced in the war between Israel and Hamas.
They now seek refuge in squalid tent camps and other war-ravaged areas, where they lack shelter, food, water and other essentials for survival, the UN says.
Eight weeks into the Israel-Hamas war, the recent release of dozens of Israeli hostages — with as many still in captivity — is bringing new focus on what Hamas did on October 7, the day its fighters rounded them up from communities across southern Israel.
The kibbutz of Nir Oz is perhaps the best place to understand Hamas' hostage strategy, an operation that was unprecedented both in scope and execution.
Hadas Kalderon in the ruins of her mother's home.
Her mother, Carmela Dan, and 12-year-old niece, Noya were taken. Kalderon's children, Erez, 12 and Sahar, 16, have been freed; the children's father, Ofer, is still in Gaza.
Eyal Barad pauses in the safe room where he sheltered with his family on Oct. 7 as Hamas militants killed and captured a quarter of the community.
Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners were exchanged between Hamas and Israel as the ceasefire was extended for a seventh day.
That ceasefire came to an end on December 1, when Israel's military said it was resuming combat operations and blamed Hamas for breaking the truce.
In this image, hostages are transported in International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah land crossing on November 30, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza.
Palestinian author and activist Ahed Tamim was released from an Israeli prison, returning to West Bank town of Ramalla.
She spoke to local media following her release, detailing the conditions of her time in jail.
"No food, no water, no clothes. We slept on the floor," Tamim said.
International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive.
Israeli hostage Maya Shem was released from Hamas captivity on November 30.
Shem was recorded pleading for her release on October 17 - it was the first video released by Hamas showing hostages.
"I am a prisoner in Gaza and they treated me and performed a surgery on me," she said.
"I only ask that you return me home as soon as possible, return me to my family, please get us out of here as soon as possible."
In this image, she is greeted by her mother and brother as she arrives at the Hatzerim Air Base in Israel.
Palestinian children line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on November 30 during the temporary ceasefire.
Israeli residents with posters to welcome home the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.
People in the West Bank watch as a motorcade for the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken drives past following his meeting with the Palestinian authority president in Ramallah on November 30.
Civilian gun sales in Israel have spiked since the Hamas attacks in October, with the sight of people brandishing automatic weapons on the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities becoming increasingly common.
Shooting ranges and gun stores in Israel have seen an increase in foot traffic as private gun licensing rules were relaxed by the government, Reuters reported.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on individuals to "go arm yourself" and many have responded.
The government said that Hebrew-speaking citizens who have military training, no criminal record, and live in an eligible area "can undergo a telephone interview instead of an in-person one, and be issued a firearm licence within a week."
Israeli officials estimated that at least 300,000 Israelis would be eligible for the new firearm licences.
B Guy Ben-Porat, a politics professor at Israel's Ben-Gurion University, told CNN that Ben Gvir and other extreme right-wing politicians has been "exploiting the opportunity to promote what he has wanted for a long time" that is "arming Jewish civilians."
What the country needs is a reduction in arms, he said, pointing to the issue of illegal guns fuelling gang-related violence among Arab citizens of Israel.
The community has been calling for more measures to help curb criminal violence to deaf years, according to Ben-Porat.
But many civilians believe the country's military failed to protect them from the devastating Hamas attacks on October 7 and they need to arm themselves to ensure their survival.
An Israeli soldier celebrates after returning from the Gaza Strip on November 22, 2023.