Gaza/Tel Aviv, May 14 (IANS/DPA): Israeli troops have advanced deeper into Rafah, eyewitnesses in Gaza's overcrowded southernmost city said on Tuesday.

Israeli tanks were said to have moved from the east of the city into neighbourhoods further west, including the al-Janina district.

The Israeli army did not initially comment on the reports.

Israel's allies, including its main backer, the US, have been warning Israel for weeks against a ground offensive into Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had been sheltering from fighting elsewhere in the coastal strip.

Almost 4,50,000 people have left the city since Israel began advancing on the city's eastern outskirts last week, according to the UN.

Hamas announced on Tuesday that its fighters had attacked an Israeli troop transport in Rafah. Rescue helicopters had landed in the al-Salam neighbourhood to evacuate the wounded. This neighbourhood is also located deeper inside the city.