In Pictures

In Rafah, Israeli bombing shatters buildings, shatters lives

Residents of southern town struggle to find safety from relentless Israeli bombardment.

A girl looks on as she stands by the rubble outside a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah — A girl stands near the rubble of a building that was hit by an Israeli bombardment in Rafah [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

Israeli air raids have continued pounding Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, as Israel widens its attack on the besieged enclave.

The military campaign, now on its 25th day, has sparked growing international concern about Gaza’s 2.3 million people living under siege.

With a fierce urban war now feared as Israel’s tanks and armoured bulldozers drive through the rubble of Gaza’s shattered buildings, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari told Palestinian civilians to go south “to a safer area”.

But even in the border town of Rafah, people still struggle to find safety from Israeli bombardment, and even the basics amid shortages of food, water and medicine.

People stand behind the metal mesh that covered the window of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah — UN officials have appealed to the Security Council for a ceasefire. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

A Palestinian woman walks past building rubble — A Palestinian woman walks past the rubble of a building in Rafah. Residents in Gaza are describing Israel's bombing campaign as the most intense in recent memory. [Said Khatib/AFP]

People stand by as civil defence workers search for victims and survivors in the rubble of a building — People search for victims and survivors in the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli bombardment in Rafah. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

Palestinian boys one on a bicycle the other in a wheelchair pass by building rubble — The head of UNICEF warns that more than 420 children are being killed or wounded in Gaza every day. [Said Khatib/AFP]

A man walks carrying a live chicken past the rubble of a building — The humanitarian toll has sparked a global backlash, with aid groups and the UN saying time is running out for many of Gaza's 2.3 million people denied access to food, water, fuel and medicine. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

Women react as they look out of a window in a building that was affected by Israeli bombardment — Women look out of a window of a destroyed building in Rafah. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

A man looks on as an excavator clears rubble after a building was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah — A man looks on as an excavator clears rubble after a building was hit by an Israeli bombardment. International Criminal Court lead prosecutor Karim Khan warned Israel on Sunday that preventing access to humanitarian aid could be a 'crime'. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]