Dozens of dead reported in attack in Rafah – DW – 27.05.2024

Several Arab countries have criticized the Israeli air strike on a refugee camp on Sunday night. According to local authorities, it left at least 35 people dead and many injured.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the “deliberate bombing of the tents of displaced people in the Palestinian city of Rafah” and called it a “new and blatant violation of the provisions of international law”.

Jordan and Kuwait condemned what they see as “war crimes” committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and called for compliance with the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) requiring Israel to stop its current offensive in Rafah.

Meanwhile, Qatar said the latest airstrike could jeopardize ceasefire talks brokered by Doha.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as a “serious violation of international law that will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip” and expressed “concern that the bombing will complicate ongoing mediation efforts and prevent an agreement on an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”

UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, called the attack “horrific” and cited reports of “mass casualties, including children and women.” It described Gaza as “hell on earth.”

Ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that last week’s ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to end its offensive in Rafah must be respected and implemented.

“Israel is continuing the military action that it is supposed to stop,” he said. “This is really a dilemma: how can the international community (…) enforce the implementation of the decisions of the International Court of Justice?”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the ICJ ruling was “binding” and “must be respected”.

Israel has rejected Friday’s ruling, and the ICJ has no way of actually enforcing it.

Dozens of people were killed or injured overnight in an Israeli air strike near the city of Rafah. Local Hamas authorities described the incident as a “massacre.”

According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, at least 35 people, mostly women and children, were killed and dozens more injured. A senior official at Gaza’s Civil Defense Authority put the death toll at at least 40.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli missiles hit a camp housing refugees who had already fled from other parts of the Gaza Strip.

The international medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said: “We are appalled by this deadly incident, which shows once again that nowhere is safe.”

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that its planes had “hit a Hamas complex in Rafah.” They said they used “precise munitions” to “eliminate” two senior Hamas members named Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar. They said the two were “legitimate targets under international law” and said the attack was based on “precise intelligence indicating that Hamas was using the area.”

The organization added that it was “aware of reports that several civilians in the area were injured as a result of the attack and fire” and said the incident was “under review.”

The latest Israeli airstrike came 24 hours after Hamas launched a rocket attack on Israel. All eight rockets were reportedly intercepted or crashed in fields.

The attack also came after the International Court of Justice ordered a halt to the Israeli offensive in Rafah last week.

mf/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)