Nine members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society are missing for a third consecutive day after they failed to return from a rescue mission in southern Gaza’s Rafah city, Al Jazeera reports.

The first responders headed for the al-Hashaashin neighbourhood of Rafah on Sunday after reports of casualties, but were “besieged” by Israeli forces, according to PRCS.

Their fate “remains unknown”, it said. Israeli authorities have refused to cooperate with efforts to reach them through international organisations.

“The Palestine Red Crescent expresses its deep concern for the safety of its teams and holds the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for their fate,” it said on X.