Tel Aviv

An Israeli airstrike killed at least seven people and wounded several others early on Wednesday (May 8) in Gaza City, a local hospital in the blockaded Palestinian enclave said. 

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The strike on an apartment in Gaza killed seven members of the same family, the Al-Ahli hospital said. Eyewitnesses on Wednesday (May 8) also reported strikes elsewhere in Gaza, more so around Rafah.

The development came after Israel seized control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing. After Israel refused to rule out a full-scale invasion of Rafah, international pressure is growing against Israel to pursue a truce.

Also read | Humanitarian aid flow impacted as Israeli forces take control of Gaza side of Rafah crossing

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Earlier this week, Israeli rockets were fired from the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip towards Kerem Shalom and the Re'im area of southern Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

"The projectiles that were fired toward the area of the Kerem Shalom Crossing are preventing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The IDF will continue to operate to enable the necessary security conditions to re-open the Kerem Shalom Crossing," the IDF said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Rafah serves dual goals of returning the hostages held in Gaza as well as eliminating Hamas. 

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Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, said the Israeli military’s operations in Rafah will "continue and expand as necessary".

Meanwhile, the last remaining operational hospital in Rafah also issued a call for all available medical teams to help with the constant flow of injured individuals arriving at the medical facility. 

The hospital medical director, as cited by CNN, said that the remaining field hospitals in the area of an eastern Rafah hospital evacuated on Monday (May 6) following Israeli warnings, and will only be able to provide less than one-third of their previously offered services.

(With inputs from agencies)