Rafah bombings kill 35, tents “melting” on top of victims
In the face of international condemnation and a baptism of international law against it, Israel’s government ordered air strikes on innocent civilians in Rafah on May 27th, Reuters and a number of international media outlets reported.
The strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens – mostly women and children – in an area in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah designated for the displaced, Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials said.
According to the Arab Weekly and agency reports, the strike took place in Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah, where thousands of people were taking shelter after many fled the eastern areas of the city where Israeli forces began a ground offensive over two weeks ago.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah was receiving an influx of casualties, and that other hospitals also were taking in a large number of patients.
READ: EU says Rafah offensive puts “heavy strain” on ties to Israel
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the attack in Rafah as a “massacre”, holding the United States responsible for aiding Israel with weapons and money.
“The air strikes burnt the tents, the tents are melting and the people’s bodies are also melting,” said one of the residents who arrived at the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah.
Qatar said that the latest Israeli attack on Rafah could hinder mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, a foreign ministry statement said.
The Israeli military had initially said its air force struck an Hamas compound in Rafah and that the strike was carried out with “precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence.” It took out Hamas’ chief of staff for the West Bank and another senior official behind deadly attacks on Israelis, it said.
READ: EU warns against new Israeli genocide in Rafah
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review.”
Fighting also continued in the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya, the scene of intense combat earlier in the war. During one raid, the military said it found a weapons storage site with dozens of rocket parts and weapons at a school.
Hamas media said an Israeli air strike on a house in a neighbourhood near Jabaliya killed ten people and wounded others.
Reuters/Arab Weekly/Guardian
