According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Israeli warplanes bombed tents of displaced Palestinians living in the northwest of Rafah, near an area where the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is located.
At least 40 Palestinians lost their lives in the attack.
A statement from the Palestinian Red Crescent said medical teams had taken many Palestinian bodies and wounded, including women and children, to hospital.
Witnesses said: “Israeli shelling destroyed and burned many tents in the camp, which is not in the area of Rafah city where thousands of displaced Palestinians are living, where the Israeli army is seeking refuge.”
Witnesses said Israeli warplanes hit the camp with at least eight rockets.
“Search Efforts for Lost Continuation”
A statement from the Gaza Health Ministry said: “The brutal bombing of a camp for displaced Palestinians in the northwest of the city of Rafah by Israeli military aircraft has resulted in the deaths and injury of many Palestinians, as people remain missing.”
In a new injunction issued on May 24, the ICJ ruled that Israel should immediately stop its attacks on Rafah and allow UN officials into Gaza to investigate crimes, rather than blocking humanitarian aid.
Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7 have killed at least 35,984 Palestinians, including 15,239 children and 10,093 women, and injured 80,643.
Thousands of dead are reported to still lie beneath the rubble, while hospitals and educational institutions where people had taken refuge have also been targeted, and civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.
Statement from Israel
Following the attack, Israel issued a statement: The Israeli army said on social media that it was aware that a Hamas facility in Rafah had been hit, but that a fire had also broken out after the attack and spread to a Palestinian camp, resulting in civilian casualties.
Israel maintained the attack was carried out after precise intelligence indicating Hamas was using the area, and that it was complying with international law.
Israel Defense Forces aircraft struck a Hamas facility in Rafah, where the main Hamas terrorist group had been operating shortly before.
This attack was carried out against a legitimate target under international law, based on precise weaponry and precise intelligence… pic.twitter.com/DQR2TyGwg2
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 26, 2024
Source link
