JERUSALEM/GAZA/WASHINGTON/UN/BEIRUT - The Israeli army tanks on Tuesday started to enter the center of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, local sources said.

The sources told Xinhua that "Israeli army tanks arrived in the Al-Geneina neighborhood in the city of Rafah and were heading towards the city center amid heavy gunfire".  

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli army said it has intensified its offensive from north to south in the Gaza Strip, targeting 120 sites in Rafah city, the neighborhoods of Jabaliya and Zeitoun in Gaza City.

Israel's armored 162 Division was fighting in eastern Rafah and on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, launching "attacks on Hamas targets", including rocket launchers, and killing "several" militants in face-to-face clashes, the army said in a statement.

The military said it was conducting "a limited" operation against militant infrastructure in Rafah, while the United Nations reported that over 300,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since the weekend as Israeli soldiers advanced further into the city.

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 35,091, health authorities in the Palestinian enclave said in a press statement on Monday

Commando and infantry forces attacked Jabaliya from the ground as the Air Force carried out airstrikes. The troops were engaged in "close-range battles," the military said, adding that "many underground infrastructures and fighting spaces in the area were destroyed".

READ MORE: Israel intensifies attacks on Rafah as Palestinian death toll tops 35,000

"In one of the attacks, a military building was destroyed where a group of Hamas terrorists gathered," stressed the statement, adding that ground and aerial attacks were carried out also in Zeitoun.

The military reported that a total of 11 soldiers have been injured in the Gaza Strip since Saturday. Among them, five soldiers and an additional civilian employee of the army sustained serious wounds, while the remaining suffered moderate injuries.

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 35,091, health authorities in the Palestinian enclave said in a press statement on Monday.

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During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 57 Palestinians and wounded 82 others, bringing the total death toll to 35,091 and injuries to 78,827, since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out last October, it said.

The statement noted that some victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defense and ambulance crews.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

US reiterates opposition to Rafah invasion

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the weekend, in which the secretary reiterated Washington's opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah.

The Secretary underscored the urgent need to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza and urged the Minister to ensure assistance can move into Gaza and help address distribution challenges inside of Gaza as Israel pursues Hamas targets.

Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesperson

According to State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken "reaffirmed the US opposition to a major military ground operation in Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter" during the Saturday call with Gallant.

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"The Secretary underscored the urgent need to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza and urged the Minister to ensure assistance can move into Gaza and help address distribution challenges inside of Gaza as Israel pursues Hamas targets," Miller said of the call in a statement.

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Citing the Israeli Defense Ministry, CNN reported Monday that Gallant discussed with Blinken "developments in Gaza, including (Israel Defense Forces) operations across the Strip in the face of terror hotspots".

Gallant also spoke about what the ministry called "the precise operation in the Rafah area against remaining Hamas battalions, while securing the crossing," the report said.

UN security staffer dies in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply saddened by the death of a UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer in an attack in Gaza, said his deputy spokesman on Monday.

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The incident occurred on Monday morning when their UN-marked vehicle was struck as they were on their way to the European Hospital in Rafah, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman.

With the conflict in Gaza continuing to take a heavy toll, the UN secretary-general reiterated his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages

"The secretary-general condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation. He sends his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member," he said.

With the conflict in Gaza continuing to take a heavy toll -- not only on civilians, but also on humanitarian workers -- the secretary-general reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages, said Haq.

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The DSS staffer became the first international staff member of the United Nations killed in Gaza since Oct 7, 2023. Some 190 Palestinian UN staffers have lost their lives.

Haq said the world body is trying to get details of the incident, adding that the DSS staffers were doing their regular work of going to different locations to assess security conditions.

Israelis observe Memorial Day

Israel observed Memorial Day on Monday. The annual event pays tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in military service and wars, as well as civilian victims of attacks.

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The day began on Sunday evening with a minute-long siren hauled across the country to honor the dead. On Monday morning, a two-minute siren was heard. 

At cemeteries where memorial services were underway, clashes broke out as members of bereaved families directed shouts of "Shame! Shame! Shame!" at government ministers in attendance

At cemeteries where memorial services were underway, clashes broke out as members of bereaved families directed shouts of "Shame! Shame! Shame!" at government ministers in attendance.

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In an official ceremony held in Jerusalem, several families left in protest as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his speech.

In the opening ceremony held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Herzi Halevi said he was "fully responsible" for the failure to protect Israeli civilians in the Oct 7 attack. "I carry its weight on my shoulders daily, and in my heart, I fully understand its significance," he said.

"I am the commander who sent your sons and daughters into the battle from which they never returned, and to the posts from which they were taken hostage," Halevi said.

Hezbollah vows continuous battle against Israel

Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday that his group will continue its battle against the Israeli forces in support of Gaza, local al-Manar TV channel reported.

Nasrallah said the front of Hezbollah-Israel fighting plays an important role in "pressuring the enemy to stop its war against Gaza," vowing continuous and increasing support for the Gaza Strip from "the resistance front in Lebanon"

In a televised speech, Nasrallah said the front of Hezbollah-Israel fighting plays an important role in "pressuring the enemy to stop its war against Gaza," vowing continuous and increasing support for the Gaza Strip from "the resistance front in Lebanon".

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He also addressed the Israeli settlers living in northern Israel near the Lebanese border, suggesting they go and call for the Israeli government to "stop the war" on Gaza if they wish to return home before the autumn school semester begins.

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"If the situation persists in the north, you must stay in your displacement shelters," he said.