Israeli advance on Rafah 'unacceptable' — Turkish FM Fidan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has condemned Israel's attack on the Palestinian city of Rafah, southern Gaza, as "unacceptable" in a call with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Speaking to Blinken on Wednesday, Fidan emphasised the importance of establishing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

The foreign minister also underlined that the obstacles to humanitarian aid reaching the region should be removed.

The latest situation in Ukraine was also on the agenda, according to the sources.

Fidan later held another phone call with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh to discuss the latest situation in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

Israel's attack on Rafah

Israeli tanks advanced further into Rafah on Tuesday, penetrating residential areas of the southern border city in Gaza where over a million people sought refuge.

Israel has ordered civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah, and UNRWA, the main United Nations aid agency in Gaza, estimates some 450,000 people have fled the city since May 6. More than a million civilians had sought refuge there.

Recent days have seen an escalation of fighting across various parts of the besieged enclave, including in the northern region, where the Israeli military has re-engaged areas previously claimed to have been cleared of Hamas presence.

In Gaza's north, an Israeli air strike on a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood killed four people and wounded several others late on Tuesday, medics said.

In the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza, Israeli bulldozers demolished houses to make a new road for tanks.

The number of Palestinian casualties since October 7 has now exceeded 35,000. Much of Gaza's population is on the brink of famine, the UN says, and desperate for fuel and other essential supplies such as medicine.