Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and injured dozens in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials. The strikes targeted an area designated for displaced people.
The Israeli military stated that its air force targeted a Hamas compound in Rafah, using “precise ammunition and based on precise intelligence.” The operation eliminated Hamas’ chief of staff for the West Bank and another senior official responsible for deadly attacks on Israelis, according to the military.
Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesperson for the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, confirmed that 35 people were killed and dozens more, mostly women and children, were wounded. The attack occurred in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood of western Rafah, where thousands had sought refuge after fleeing eastern areas of the city amidst an ongoing Israeli ground offensive.
The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that its field hospital in Rafah was overwhelmed with casualties, and other hospitals were also experiencing a high influx of patients.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the attack as a “massacre” and accused the United States of being complicit by providing Israel with weapons and financial support.
One of the resident described the devastation, saying, “Those airstrikes eventually burnt all the tents, the tents are melting, and under those tents the people’s bodies are also melting,” while at the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah.
Rafah is located approximately 100 km (60 miles) south of Tel Aviv.
Israel’s offensive aims to eliminate Hamas fighters in Rafah and rescue hostages reportedly held in the area. However, the assault has intensified the humanitarian crisis for civilians and sparked international condemnation.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive. Israel initiated the operation following a Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and the capture of over 250 hostages, based on Israeli reports.
