The Israeli military seized control of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Tuesday and its tanks pushed into the southern Gazan town of Rafah after a night of air strikes on the Palestinian enclave.

Videos showed two Israeli soldiers raising a flag in a park near the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing as well as a tank running over and "I love Gaza" sign.

Reuters was able to confirm the location from the structures, building, and road layout and vegetation around the area which matched with satellite imagery. Reuters was not able to independently verify the date of the footage.

The Israeli military said a limited operation in Rafah was meant to kill fighters and dismantle infrastructure used by Hamas, which governs the besieged Palestinian territory.

Gaza health ministry said Israeli strikes across the enclave had killed 54 Palestinians and wounded 96 others in the past 24 hours.