Israel army reports more rockets at key Gaza crossing

The Israeli army said rockets were launched Saturday from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the Kerem Shalom crossing, which was temporarily shut earlier this week after deadly fire.

"Four launches were identified that crossed from the Rafah area", the military said in a statement, adding that one rocket was intercepted by Israeli air defences "and the rest fell in open areas" around Kerem Shalom.

It added that "no injuries were reported."

According to the army, a rocket was fired on Friday from the same area towards the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip.

On Sunday Israeli authorities temporarily closed the crossing, where most humanitarian deliveries are inspected before being allowed into Gaza, after rockets killed four troops there.

The latest rocket fire came hours after Israel expanded an evacuation order for eastern Rafah, where the UN says 1.4 million people are sheltering and has warned of an "epic" disaster if an outright invasion of the crowded city occurs.

The Israeli army on Monday issued its first evacuation order for parts of eastern Rafah, saying it was in preparation for a widely anticipated ground assault.

While not yet announcing a large-scale operation, Israel this week defied international opposition and entered Rafah with tanks and troops, seizing its key crossing on the Egyptian border.

Israel began its Gaza military campaign after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

The Israeli offensive has killed at least 34,971 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.