Israeli airstrikes kill more than 35 in Rafah, Gaza authorities report
The strikes targeted shelters in Tel Al-Sultan, where thousands had sought refuge after fleeing the eastern areas of the city.
CAIRO: Israeli airstrikes on Monday killed at least 35 Palestinians and injured dozens in a designated area for the displaced in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
The Israeli military stated that its air force targeted a Hamas compound in Rafah using “precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence.”
Without detailing the casualties, the Israeli military also claimed that the airstrike targeted and eliminated two Hamas officials.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that several civilians in the area were harmed as a result of the strike and the subsequent fire. The incident is under review.”
The spokesman for the health ministry in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qidra, reported that 35 people were killed and dozens more, mostly women and children, were injured in the attack.
The strike occurred in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah, where thousands had sought shelter after fleeing the city’s eastern areas, where Israeli forces began a ground offensive over two weeks ago.
The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that its field hospital in Rafah was receiving an influx of casualties and that other hospitals were also taking in a large number of patients.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the attack in Rafah as a “massacre,” holding the United States responsible for aiding Israel with weapons and money.
“The airstrikes burnt the tents, the tents are melting, and the people’s bodies are also melting,” said one of the residents who arrived at the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah.
Statement by Emmanuel Macron, President of France: Macron expressed his concern over the escalating violence in Rafah, stating, “Outraged by the Israeli strikes that have killed many displaced persons in Rafah. These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.”
According to Gaza’s health ministry, nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive. Israel initiated the operation after Hamas-led freedom fighters attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the seizure of more than 250 hostages, as per Israeli reports.
