Israeli forces killed at least 27 Palestinians in armored shelling and airstrikes in the northern and central Gaza Strip, medical sources said, while pushing deeper into northwestern Rafah near the border with Egypt.

According to medical sources and the Hamas press office, at least 13 people were killed in the shelling of two houses in Rafah.

Earlier, Palestinian medics said shelling by Israeli tanks killed eight people and wounded many others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Another six were killed in an airstrike on a residence in Gaza City.

In the northern city of Beit Hanoun, an Israeli strike on a car killed and wounded several Palestinians, health officials said. It was unclear how many of the victims were combatants and how many civilians.

In the southern town of Rafah, where the Israeli army has been operating since May, armored forces advanced further into the northwestern area with the support of aircraft, residents said.

They also reported heavy gunfire and explosions in eastern parts of the city, where Israeli forces blew up several houses, according to residents and media close to Hamas.