Watan-Satellite images have revealed that the occupying forces have begun to penetrate the most densely populated areas in Rafah in recent days.
According to the American newspaper, The Washington Post, the occupying forces have destroyed dozens of buildings to reach the city center.
The newspaper reported that the Israeli offensive, which began slowly on May 6, has already radically altered the geography of the Rafah area and displaced more than a million Palestinians who had sought refuge in the city after fleeing from northern Gaza.
On May 8, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israel that he would halt the shipment of weapons if the occupying forces stormed population centers in Rafah, but this red line appears to be gradually fading.
Satellite images showed that Israeli forces have cleared large areas of land east of Gaza as they advanced along the Egyptian border in recent weeks, demolishing buildings and plowing fields, reflecting efforts to create military buffer zones.
Verified satellite images and videos also depicted an attack on central Rafah, with military vehicles entering the western Tel al-Sultan neighborhood.
Satellite images also indicate an Israeli buildup near the Al-Awda area, considered the heart of the city.
The occupying army announced that it had achieved tactical control over the Philadelphi Route, a strategic corridor nine miles long extending to the Mediterranean Sea along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Extensive building demolitions
Satellite images show that through demolitions and bulldozing, the tactics used by the occupying army throughout the war have leveled large parts of Gaza.
Approximately 2,400 buildings in Rafah were damaged between May 4 and May 27, according to an analysis by remote sensing experts Jamon Van Den Hoek and Corey Scher, who use open-source satellite data to monitor damage assessments across the Gaza Strip.
Amir Avivi, a retired brigadier general in the occupying army, stated that it is unclear how long the Israeli forces intend to remain on the Egyptian border, but it is likely that the army will want to indefinitely maintain tunnel detection technology.
Signs of building sand berms used to protect soldiers can be seen on the newly invaded lands.
On May 6, the occupying army launched its attack on Rafah, during which it took control of the city’s crossing with Egypt from the Palestinian side, in addition to overrunning two-thirds of the Philadelphi Route and taking fire control over the entire route along the Palestinian-Egyptian border.