A minimum of 45 fatalities reported due to an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah.
Video footage captured by CNN revealed a camp engulfed in flames, panicking residents desperately seeking shelter from the violent nighttime attack. Severely burned corpses, including young children's bodies, could be witnessed being rescued by those trying to help.
At least 45 casualties were reported as a result of the raid, with over 200 experiencing injuries, mostly females and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and medical attendants. However, no hospital in Rafah could handle such a large number of casualties, the ministry detailed.
A Palestinian man filming the inferno spoke out, explaining how the area was supposed to be a safe region. "Several civilians are still trapped inside the camp, which was hit without warning," he said.
The incident ensued following Hamas' launch of rockets towards Tel Aviv on Sunday, a move they haven't carried out for a substantial period of time. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed eight rockets were fired from Rafah, with various projectiles intercepted during the event. The IDF affirmed it had destroyed the launching sites used by Hamas.
Just a few days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanded Israel stops their military action in Rafah and anywhere else, the IDF stated they targeted "a compound in Rafah where significant Hamas terrorists were operating."
Despite claims of harm to unengaged citizens, the IDF is reviewing the affair. "We are aware of the accusation that... a group of innocent people were harmed," Avichay Adraee, the Head of the Arab Media Division of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, disclosed on X. "The conditions of the accident are being examined."
The IDF's Main Prosecutor Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi announced the specifics of the Rafah strike are still under scrutiny, and the Israeli military vowed to investigate the incident fully.
Israel claimed they killed two Hamas officials in the strike - West Bank Chief of Staff Yassin Rabia and senior Hamas member Khaled Nagar. However, CNN cannot validate these statements.
This attack marked one of the deadliest Israeli strikes on Gaza's southernmost city since Israel began their operation on May 7 and occurred right after the ICJ mandated Israel "immediately cease" their military operation in Rafah and any further action that could potentially eradicate Palestinian life.
Over 36,000 people have perished in Gaza since Israel initiated their military operation on May 7, as per the Ministry of Health in the enclave, which came about following ambushes conducted by Hamas-led militants, causing 1,200 deaths and captivity of 250 individuals, state Israeli officials.
Charting hopelessness aftermaths from the attack, footage on social media demonstrated chaotic situations.
In one recording, a lifeless man's body was hauled out of the flames while being pulled by the legs. "He's dead, he's dead," stated one rescuer and then moved on to save others. In another clip, a man sobbed while displaying the headless body of a toddler to the camera. The film showed women shrieking in anguish as children peered into the flames. A man with a bloodied visage stood, petrified, examining his injuries with one hand while holding an infant with blood-stained clothing in his other arm. One of the bodies retrieved from the fire was completely charred.
By Monday morning, the camp was in shambles with minor fires still smoldering. Gathered around were men and boys, frantically searching through the wreckage for food and belongings as drones hovered above. The video was taken near a still-standing sign reading "Kuwait peace camp 1."
Abu Al Subeh, a Palestinian refugee who survived the strike, described it as follows: "I was resting in bed in the evening when I saw rockets fired down at us. It shook the ground like an earthquake. I had to flee through the window of my shabby shelter in the desert area where the camp is located. I came here, placing my trust in the leaflet dropped by Israel specifying, 'go to this humanitarian area.' It's just a residential area here."
Another Palestinian resident, Abu Nidal Al Attar, shared his observation: "We were calmly sitting as you would normally when suddenly, strikes and fire erupted. We went to check, and they were pulling out burn victims."
Hamas denounced the attack as "a heinous war crime" and "a terrifying massacre."
International disapproval was immediate, with United Nations agencies, aid organizations, and countries demanding Israel adhere to the ICJ's mandate and terminate their operation in Rafah.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell took to X on Monday, expressing dismay at Israel's continued operation despite the ICJ ruling. Furthermore, Borrell expressed these thoughts at a meeting with Arab leaders gathering to discuss Gaza and the region, as he noted Israel "continues the military operation that it has been urged to stop."
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders expressed extreme disappointment, calling it "a horrific event that shows again that no place is safe." The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees announced, "Gaza is a living hell," regarding the Rafah attack.
Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, stated that he was "shocked" and demanded an "instruction with no delay."
The opposition has raised concerns about Israel's assertions. With heightened fears of an ongoing war just next to Gaza, Egypt issued a statement on Monday accusing Israel of violating Rafah with their recent attack, and urged Israel to follow the ICJ's mandate of "halting military operations" in the area and to "meet its obligations as an occupying power."
Egypt, who is serving as an intermediary in the conflict, is scheduled to host further indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday. Qatar, another prominent mediator in the situation, expressed concerns that the attack might hinder the current talks, and deemed it a "grave violation of international law."
Prior to Israel launching operations in Rafah, over a million Palestinians had been taking refuge in the area, fleeing from other zones of Gaza as a result of Israel's military invasion in the region.
Israel declared that civilians had been commanded to vacate certain regions of Rafah, though many remain in what Israel defined as "safe territories."
Over 800,000 individuals have displaced from Rafah since May 6, as per the numbers provided by the United Nations.
In reaction to the ICJ's ruling last week, Israel assured that it "has not and will not initiate military operations in the Rafah area that may result in endangering the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza to the extent of being substantially annihilated."
This report contains contributions from Zeena Saifi, Hamdi Alkhshali, Mostafa Salem, James Frater, and Lauren Kent from CNN, along with Nadeen Ebrahim, who wrote from Abu Dhabi.
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The Middle East is once again at the center of global attention due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with the world expressing concern over the deadly Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel launched an attack on a refugee camp in Rafah, located in the Middle East, leading to significant casualties and destruction.
Source: edition.cnn.com
