Israel increases bombing in central Gaza, strikes kill 17 people

In Rafah, near the border with Egypt, tanks pushed deeper into the northern-west area of the city, residents said.There has been no Israeli comment on the fighting in Gaza overnight and early Thursday.Israel’s 13-month campaign in Gaza, with the avowed intent of eradicating Hamas militants, has killed nearly 44,200 people and displaced nearly all the enclave’s population at least once, according to Gaza officials. Vast swathes of the territory are in ruins.The war was launched in response to an attack by Hamas-led fighters who killed about 1,200 people and captured more than 250…