"Closing Rafah Crossing: Hamas Warns of Collective Punishment and Crisis in Gaza."

 "Closing Rafah Crossing: Hamas Warns of Collective Punishment and Crisis in Gaza."

Hamas announced on Tuesday that Israel's entry into Rafah on Monday night created a "humanitarian catastrophe," posing a "direct threat to more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians."

The militant group stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) "launched a ground operation" in Rafah, where Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt.

In a different statement, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security warned that the "closure of the Rafah crossing amid the dire conditions in the Gaza Strip intensifies the humanitarian crisis and completely isolates the Strip from the rest of the world, constituting collective punishment for more than 2 million people."

The ministry described Rafah as "a crucial lifeline for citizens in Gaza" and said it "does not pose any threat to Israeli security."

On Tuesday, the IDF clarified that its troops "began a precise counterterrorism operation" in "specific parts of eastern Rafah," targeting Hamas infrastructure based on intelligence.

Rafah is Gaza's sole border crossing not under direct Israeli control, and it has been a conduit for limited humanitarian aid into the enclave in recent months.