Israel has said it is “moving ahead” with its planned operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite international outcry over fears for the 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering there, AFP reports.

“Israel is moving ahead with our operation to target Hamas in Rafah,” government spokesman David Mencer told a press briefing.

“The four battalions which remain in Rafah cannot be shielded from Israel. They will be attacked.”

Mencer added that “two reserve brigades” had been mobilised “for defensive and tactical missions in Gaza” against the Palestinian movement.

Since Israel’s ground invasion began in Gaza on October 27, “at least 18 or 19 of Hamas’s 24 battalions” have been destroyed, he said.