A shelling reportedly hit a homeless camp in the Gaza Strip. Israel claims to have attacked “legitimate targets”. Mediators fear the incident could undermine peace efforts. An airstrike on Sunday night (26/05) left dozens dead in a homeless camp near the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in an incident that could undermine international efforts for peace. ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
Gaza Civil Defense, run by the extremist group Hamas, said the attack killed at least 40 people and injured 65. Most of the victims were women and children, according to the organization.
A top civil defense official, Mohammad al-Mughayyir, called the incident a “massacre” and described a horrific scenario to the AFP news agency. “We saw burned bodies and mutilated limbs […] We have seen cases of amputations, injured children and elderly people.”
He said rescue efforts face huge obstacles. “There is a shortage of fuel, the roads have been destroyed, which prevents the movement of Civil Protection vehicles in the affected areas,” she said. “There is also no water to put out the fires.”
The information cannot be confirmed by independent means.
“Nowhere is safe”
The medical organization Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a post on the X social network that “numerous” people were killed and injured in the attack in the region northwest of Rafah.
Doctors said the airstrikes hit tents housing large numbers of people displaced from other regions of the enclave by the Israeli offensive on the territory, which began after the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7.
PRCS says the airstrike hit a humanitarian zone designated for people forced to leave Rafah after Israeli raids on the city began. Images of the site released in the press and on social media showed several makeshift shelters destroyed or on fire.
The NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported this Monday that more than 15 bodies had been taken to one of its facilities in the Rafah region and that dozens of injured people were also treated. “We are horrified by this deadly incident, which proves once again that nowhere is safe. We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza,” MSF said in a post on X.
The last bastion of Hamas?
In early May, Israel launched what it called a “limited operation” in the region and took control of the Palestinian portion of the Rafah border crossing, which connects the enclave with Egypt. Since then, the army has reported what it called “selective attacks” to capture Hamas members in the eastern part of the city, which it believes is the terror group’s last stronghold in Gaza.
This Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement published on X that two senior Hamas officials were killed in the attack.
“The attack was carried out against legitimate targets in accordance with international laws through the use of precision munitions. [dados de] accurate information indicating Hamas use of the area,” the post reads. “The IDF is aware of reports indicating that, following the attack and fire, several civilians in the region were were injured. The incident is under review,” the statement read.
The attack came just days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ordered an end to Israeli attacks on Rafah.
“Hell on Earth”
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said Monday that “information from Rafah about attacks on families seeking refuge is appalling.”
“There are reports of mass deaths, including children and women. Gaza is hell on Earth. Last night’s images are further testimony to this,” the entity said, in a post on X.
In mid-May, UNRWA director Philippe Lazzarini said that the number of Palestinians “forced to flee” from Rafah following the Israeli military operation was already 800,000.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, which mediates international efforts for a truce in the Gaza conflict, expressed “concern that the bombing could complicate ongoing negotiations and prevent an agreement on an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
rc/cn (AFP, DPA, Reuters)
Source: Terra
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