Amid international outrage: ‘Serious’ Rafah incident still under investigation, says IDF prosecutor

The Israeli military is still considering a Airstrike in Rafah Late Sunday night, what Hamas called a “massacre” left more than 35 people dead, Israeli Defense Forces chief military prosecutor Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi said Monday morning.

Speaking at a conference of the Bar Association, Tomer-Yerushalmi said: “Of course, in a war of such scale and intensity, serious events also happen. The details of the event are still being examined and we are determined to see it through to the end.”

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s comments are the first detailed statement by an IDF official on the attack in the Tell as-Sultan area northwest of Rafah, in which the IDF said two senior Hamas commanders were killed.

“The Israel Defense Forces regret any harm caused to innocent persons during the war. During the war, incidents also occur in which violations of the laws of war and military orders are suspected,” said Tomer-Yerushalmi.

“However, these are exceptions, not the rule, and there are no lessons to be learned from a policy that deviates from the law. Quite the opposite – these allegations will be investigated thoroughly and decisively,” she added.

Reports of the attack and a subsequent fire in the area sparked international outrage. Qatar warned that the Israeli attacks Efforts to resume negotiations about a deal to release the hostages.

Egypt accused Israel of deliberately bombing refugee tents and demanded that Israel implement “the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to immediately halt military operations” in Rafah.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, also accused Israel on Monday of ignoring the rights of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). to cease his activity in Rafah and called for the implementation of the ruling.

In an initial statement, the White House said it was monitoring the situation. “We are aware of reports of the incident in Rafah and are gathering additional information,” a National Security Council spokesman told The Times of Israel.

Shortly after the attack, the Israeli army stated: “The attack was directed against legitimate targets under international law, using precise ammunition and firing based on precise intelligence indicating that Hamas was using the area.”

The Israel Defense Forces added that they were aware of reports that “several civilians in the area were injured as a result of the attack and fire. The incident is currently under investigation.”