7:29 p.m. ET, May 26, 2024
At least 30 dead in Israeli strikes on Rafah IDP camp, Gaza officials say
By CNN’s Sarah El Sirgany, Abeer Salman and Hamdi Alkhshali
In this video, fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, on May 26.
Reuters TV/Reuters
At least 30 people were killed Sunday by Israeli strikes on a camp for displaced people in the far southern city of Rafah, the Gaza government’s media office said.
Videos shared on social media show a major fire at the site, with paramedics and firefighters struggling to deal with the aftermath. The targeted area included a large container used as shelter for dozens of families, surrounded by hundreds of tents.
“The Israeli occupation army designated these areas as safe zones, calling on citizens and displaced people to move towards these safe areas,” the government office said, adding that when displaced people sought refuge, they were attacked.
This echoes criticism from the Palestinian Emergency Committee in Rafah, which said the Israeli military had claimed the struck area was a “safe zone”.
What the IDF said: The Israeli military said in a statement it had struck “a compound in Rafah where major Hamas terrorists were operating,” and said it was aware of reports of civilian damage following the strike and shooting. .
It said one of its planes used “precision munitions” to strike the target based on “intelligence that Hamas was using the area.”
He said the strikes, including damage to civilians, were currently being reviewed.
Earlier on Sunday, Hamas fired rockets into 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 responsible for the attack.
He said Israel would not have carried out the strikes “without American support and the green light to invade Rafah, despite the overpopulation of displaced citizens.”
Hamas called for immediate international intervention, calling for the rapid implementation of the rulings of the International Court of Justice, which ordered Israel to end its offensive in Rafah.
Israel’s actions in Rafah served as a flashpoint for the unprecedented level of diplomatic pressure it now faces over the war in Gaza.
News Source : amp.cnn.com
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