The African Union has condemned the Israeli military’s moves into southern Gaza’s Rafah, calling for the international community to stop “this deadly escalation” of the offensive, AFP reports.

AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat “firmly condemns the extension of this war to the Rafah crossing”, said a statement after Israeli tanks captured the key corridor for humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

Faki “expresses his extreme concern at the war undertaken by Israel in Gaza which results, at every moment, in massive deaths and systematic destruction of the conditions of human life”, the statement said.

“He calls on the entire international community to effectively coordinate collective action to stop this deadly escalation.”