The White House warned Israel on Monday about an airstrike that killed dozens of people at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah.
“The devastating images following an IDF attack in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking,” a spokesperson for President Joe Biden’s National Security Council said.
“Israel has the right to go after Hamas, and we understand that this attack killed two key Hamas terrorists responsible for attacks on Israeli civilians. But as we have been clear, Israel must take every precaution to protect civilians. We are actively engaging the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation.”
The blast and subsequent fires killed at least 45 people, including 23 women, children and the elderly, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry said 249 people were injured.
At least 45 civilians were killed in the Israeli attack on Rafah
Yassin Rabia, a Hamas commander, and Khaled Nagar, another senior Hamas official, were targeted and killed.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the civilian deaths.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the civilian deaths a “tragic accident.”
Netanyahu said the Israeli military has tried to minimize civilian deaths by asking Gaza residents to evacuate, but “despite our best efforts not to harm uninvolved civilians, we regret that a tragic incident occurred last night.” accident occurred.’
Accusing Hamas of hiding among the general population, he said: “For us, every uninvolved civilian who is injured is a tragedy. For Hamas it is a strategy. That’s the whole difference.’
The strike caused a fire that swept through the camp in the Tal Al-Sultan area of Rafah Governorate, destroying tents and shelters.
Images released by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed chaotic nighttime scenes of ambulances rushing to the attack site and evacuating the injured, including children.
When Palestinians cleared the site on Monday, only blackened metal sheets and charred planks remained, while tent shelters were all but destroyed.
The strike came after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its offensive on Rafah and officials sought to restart ceasefire negotiations.
A Palestinian man and his children sit in a destroyed room after the attack on a residential building by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in southern Gaza
President Joe Biden’s administration warned Israel about the attack
It caused international outrage.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by Israel’s latest attacks. “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,” he said on X.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the International Court of Justice ruling must be respected.
“International humanitarian law applies to everyone, including Israel’s conduct of war,” Baerbock said.
In addition, Israeli forces exchanged gunfire with Egyptian forces along their shared border, resulting in the death of at least one Egyptian soldier.
The IDF this afternoon reported a “shooting incident” at the border close to the Gaza crossing, adding that it discussed the matter with Egyptian authorities but did not reveal any further information.
‘A few hours ago there was a shooting incident at the Egyptian border. The incident is under investigation and discussions are ongoing with the Egyptians,” the army said in a statement this afternoon.
Cairo quickly confirmed the shooting when a military spokesman said authorities had opened an investigation into the incident.
