Netanyahu calls civilian deaths in Israeli attack on Rafah a ‘tragic accident’: Live updates

The International Court of Justice appeared to order Israel on Friday to halt its military offensive and “any other action” in Rafah that could destroy all or part of the Palestinian population there. Some of the court’s judges said that under the terms of their ruling, Israel could still carry out some military operations in Rafah.

Israel said Sunday night’s attack killed two Hamas officials, but the civilian deaths drew immediate condemnation, which may have made it even harder for Israel to defend its claim that the ambiguity of the court ruling allowed it to continue its campaign in Rafah.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he was “outraged” by the airstrike in Rafah, adding that these operations “must stop.”

Netanyahu said in a speech to the Israeli parliament that Israel had tried to minimize civilian deaths by urging Gaza residents to evacuate. But “despite our best efforts not to harm innocent civilians, to our regret, a tragic accident occurred last night.” He accused Hamas of hiding among the population and said: “For us, every innocent civilian who is injured is a tragedy. For Hamas, it is a strategy. That is the whole difference.”

The military said the target of Sunday’s attack was a Hamas compound, adding that “precise munitions” were used to eliminate a Hamas commander and another senior Hamas official at the site.

But according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the explosion and subsequent fires killed at least 45 people, including 23 women, children and elderly people. The ministry said 249 people were injured.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said on Monday that an initial military investigation found that the attack or fragments from it may have unexpectedly ignited a flammable substance at the site. Witnesses reported heavy fires following the attack.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Monday that it had taken a number of measures before the attack to reduce the risk of harm to innocent civilians, including conducting aerial surveillance and using precise munitions. “Based on these measures, it was considered that no harm to innocent civilians was expected,” the military said.

Military drone footage of the attack reviewed by The New York Times showed that the munitions landed in an area containing several large hut-like structures and parked cars.

Two Israeli officials said the attack took place outside the designated humanitarian zone, which was intended to provide a safe haven for residents who were ordered to evacuate to get out of danger. The military created a map It indicates the alleged location of the attack in relation to the designated humanitarian area.

The military named Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas’ leadership in the occupied West Bank, and Khaled Nagar, a senior official in the same wing of the group, as the targets of the attack. The military said the West Bank wing was responsible for planning, financing and carrying out terrorist attacks throughout the West Bank and in Israel.

In a statement, Hamas called the Israeli attack on Rafah a “heinous war crime” and called for the “immediate and urgent implementation” of the International Court of Justice’s ruling. The group did not refer to the Israeli military’s statements about the two Hamas officials who were the target of the attack.

According to the military, the attack took place in Tal as Sultan in the northwest of Rafah. Israeli ground troops have so far operated in the southeast of Rafah and in the narrow corridor along the Egyptian border.

The ruling by the court in The Hague, a branch of the United Nations, came on Friday in a lawsuit brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Israel was ordered to immediately cease any actions in Rafah “that could impose on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that would lead to its physical annihilation in whole or in part.”

Israeli officials argue that the 13-2 ruling allows them to continue fighting in Rafah because Israel has not and will not impose such conditions on the Palestinians.

But even some of Israel’s allies see the order differently. Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said on Saturday that Israel’s offensive in Rafah was “incompatible with international law.”

Patrick Kingsley, Myra Noveck And Johnatan Reiss contributed to the reporting.