At least 50 people have been killed and dozens more injured by
an Israeli airstrike on tents for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, according to the Gaza health authorities.
The health ministry said that most of those killed and injured in Rafah were women and children, in an area where thousands of people have been instructed to take shelter in the southern region of the besieged enclave. “Numerous others were trapped in flaming debris,” said officials.
The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.
Confirming the assault, the Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound and that the strike was carried with “precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence”.
It added: “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.”
The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “tragic mishap”.