Eyewitnesses: Israeli troops entering deeper into Rafah

Israeli troops have advanced deeper into Rafah, eyewitnesses in Gaza's overcrowded southernmost city said on Tuesday.

Israeli tanks were said to have moved from the east of the city into neighborhoods further west including the al-Janina district.

The Israeli army did not initially comment on the reports.

Israel's allies, including its main backer the United States, have been warning Israel for weeks against a ground offensive into Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had been sheltering from fighting elsewhere in the coastal strip.