ReutersIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike that killed dozens of displaced Palestinians in Rafah on Sunday was a “tragic accident,” amid growing international condemnation of the blast.
At least 45 people were killed according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Hundreds more were treated for serious burns, fractures and shrapnel wounds.
Speaking before the Israeli parliament, Mr Netanyahu said it was vital that Israel took “every possible precaution” to protect civilians caught up in the fighting in Gaza.
But he insisted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was doing its best not to harm those not involved in the conflict and vowed to continue fighting Hamas.
“I do not intend to end the war before all objectives have been achieved,” Mr. Netanyahu said in his speech, interrupted by occasional heckling from family members of the hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack in southern Israel.
The prime minister was attacked by some members of his family for failing to reach an agreement for the return of their loved ones.
“In Rafah, we have already evacuated about a million non-combatant residents and despite our best efforts not to harm the non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong,” Mr. Netanyahu persisted.
“We are investigating the incident and will draw conclusions as this is our policy.”
International organizations lined up to condemn the strike, with the EU insisting that Israel respect a ruling last week by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering a halt to strikes on Rafah. The bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, described Sunday’s strike as “horrible.”
Despite the ICJ’s ruling, Israel vowed to press ahead with the Rafah invasion, with officials insisting the decision left room for the attack to comply with international law.
Separately, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the attack suggested there had been “no apparent change in the methods and means of warfare used by Israel that have already led to so many civilian deaths.”
Israel launched the attack on Rafah on Sunday just hours after Hamas launched its first missile attack on Tel Aviv in several months.
IDF officials said the attack killed two senior Hamas commanders and that they were investigating civilian deaths in the area.
But the Palestinian Red Crescent said the airstrike targeted tents for displaced people near a United Nations facility in Tal al-Sultan, about 2 km northwest of central Rafah.
Videos from the scene in the Tal al-Sultan area on Sunday evening showed a large explosion and intense fires.
EPAGraphic images showed a number of burning structures next to a banner reading “Kuwaiti Peace Camp ‘1’”, as well as first responders and bystanders carrying several bodies.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said Monday that one of its establishments had received at least 28 deaths following the strike, including women and children.
In a statement, the organization said it had treated another 180 injured Palestinians, most suffering from serious shrapnel wounds, fractures, traumatic injuries and burns.
MSF rejected Israeli claims that the strike was precise, saying “the attack on a populated camp in a so-called ‘safe zone’ in Rafah shows the complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza.”
In a statement released Monday evening, the United States called the images “heartbreaking” but insisted Israel had the right to defend itself.
“Israel has the right to attack Hamas, and we understand that this strike killed two high-ranking Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks on Israeli civilians,” a national security spokesperson said. from the White House.
But they acknowledged that “Israel must take every possible precaution to protect civilians.”
Israeli officials spent much of Monday scrambling to find out what was wrong in Rafah. How did a “precision strike” using specialized munitions with “reduced warheads” result in a firestorm that killed dozens and injured dozens?
Following last week’s ICJ ruling ordering Israel to suspend any operations in the Rafah region that could cause further harm to the Palestinian population, Israel knows the eyes of the world are on it. He is under enormous pressure to explain his actions.
He claims the operation was based on intelligence and it appears the two Hamas figures were killed.
But the presence of large numbers of civilians and, reportedly, a significant amount of flammable materials raises many questions about how this incident was planned and executed.
With top military officials, including Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, the IDF’s attorney general, promising a thorough investigation, we can expect some sort of more detailed explanation very soon.
But whether this marks a turning point in the campaign is another matter.
Mr. Netanyahu remains committed to what he calls “total victory” in Rafah, so there is no sign that Sunday’s disaster will change his mind.
Despite last night’s horrific scenes, Israeli ground forces still appear to be acting with some caution as they move closer to the town of Rafah itself.
So far, their operations have not resulted in bloodshed.
But that is exactly what last night’s airstrike achieved, dealing a further blow to Israel’s already battered image and undermining its reason to continue.
