At least 30 people were killed by Israeli strikes on a camp for displaced people in the southernmost city of Rafah on Sunday, the Gaza government media office said.
Videos shared on social media show a large fire at the site, with paramedics and firefighters struggling to manage the aftermath. The area targeted included a large container used as a shelter for dozens of families, surrounded by hundreds of tents.
“The Israeli occupation army had designated these areas as safe zones, calling on citizens and displaced persons to head to these safe areas,” the government office said, adding that when displaced people sought refuge, they came under attack.
That echoed criticism from the Palestinian Emergency Committee in Rafah, which said the Israel Defense Forces had claimed the area struck was a “safe zone.”
What the IDF has said: The Israeli military claimed in a statement that it struck “a compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating,” and said it is aware of reports of civilian harm following the strike and fire.
It said one of its aircraft used “precise munitions” to strike the target based on “intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area.”
It said the strikes, including the harm to civilians, are now under review.
Earlier Sunday, Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv for the first time in months. The Israeli military said the rockets were fired from Rafah.
Hamas response: Hamas issued a statement holding the US administration and President Joe Biden personally accountable for the attack.
It said Israel would not have carried out the strikes “without American support and the green light for it to invade Rafah, despite its overcrowding with displaced citizens.”
Hamas called for immediate international intervention, urging the swift implementation of decisions by the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.
Remember: Over a million Palestinians — many already displaced by Israel’s offensive in other parts of the enclave — had been sheltering in Rafah before Israel began its operations there. Many have now fled, but say they have nowhere safe to go.
Israel’s actions in Rafah have served as a flashpoint for the unprecedented level of diplomatic pressure it is now facing over the war in Gaza.
