Following a lethal Israeli strike, the UN Security Council convenes for an urgent session on the Rafah situation.
There will be a crucial meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday afternoon, as per diplomatic sources. The meeting was arranged by Algeria.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his disgust at the air attack, where, as per the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, 45 individuals lost their lives. "A large number of innocent civilians have lost their lives," Guterres stated. "Gaza is not a place where anyone is safe," he added, calling for an end to this horror. UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk described the vision as "heartbreaking."
The U.S. administration voiced its shock over the large number of civilian casualties. The images of "massacred innocent Palestinians" are "devastating" and "tragic," said a spokesperson for the National Security Council in Washington. Israel should "make every effort to safeguard civilians," the spokesperson suggested.
The spokesperson also mentioned that the U.S. government has been in contact with the Israeli military and other regional partners to gather information about the attack.
The German government reacted cautiously. "It is for the jurists to determine if this amounts to a war crime," said the government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. "Regardless, such actions are highly condemnable."
The health ministry under Hamas control in the Gaza Strip reported 45 deaths and 249 injuries. As per Palestinian media, the UN Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA) camp of Barkasat, located northwest of Rafah, was targeted during the night. According to Hamas, the attack led to a fire in the camp. Dreadful visuals from AFP showed burnt-out makeshift tents and vehicles.
The Israeli army claimed they had assaulted a Hamas facility in Rafah, where "significant Hamas terrorists were present." As per the reports, two high-ranking Hamas officials - responsible for organizing attacks in the occupied West Bank - were among the casualties. The chief spokesperson of the army instructed the review and investigation board of the military to examine the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed sorrow over the unintentional demise of civilians in Rafah. "We have evacuated more than a million unaffiliated people in Rafah," he stated before the parliament in Jerusalem. "Despite our efforts, this turned out to be a 'tragic accident,'" he added, vowing to assess the situation.
In the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, more than a million individuals have fled to escape the Israeli military operation. Israel is pursuing the remaining Hamas battalions in this region.
The Israeli airstrike on Rafah followed an extensive rocket attack from Rafah. According to Israeli reports, rockets were fired at Tel Aviv and the country's heartland for the first time in months on Sunday.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas, characterized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, has been raging for more than seven months. Palestinian militants launched a massive assault on Israel on October 7 and, according to Israeli estimations, left more than 1170 people dead. Additionally, 252 individuals were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip.
In response to this extraordinary attack, Israel embarked on an intensive military campaign in the Gaza Strip. As per the health ministry under Hamas supervision, which cannot be independently verified, roughly 36,000 people have perished so far.
Meanwhile, Spain, Ireland, and Norway are planning to officially acknowledge a Palestinian state on Tuesday. A press conference is scheduled in Brussels for this purpose. This move signifies a departure from the traditional stance of Western nations, who only recognize a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement with Israel. The initiative has provoked strong objections in Israel.
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Source: www.stern.de
