Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024
This “deliberate” attack represents “another flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the fourth Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
Egypt reiterated its call for urgent intervention from the UN Security Council and influential global actors to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and halt military operations in Rafah.
The international community has a legal and humanitarian responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians from exposure to life-threatening dangers, the ministry underlined.
The Israeli airstrikes targeted a tent camp in a designated safe zone in the Tal Al-Sultan area, killing at least 35 people and leaving dozens injured, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Women and children comprise the majority of the casualties, added the ministry. The Palestine Red Crescent Society expects the death toll to rise as search efforts continue.
The Egyptian foreign ministry described this tragic incident as part of a systematic policy targeting defenseless civilians and expanding the scale of killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip, rendering it uninhabitable.
Egypt called on Israel to fulfill its legal obligations as an occupying force and adhere to the measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an immediate cessation of military operations in Rafah.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA described today the reports from Rafah about further attacks on families seeking shelter as “horrifying.”
“Gaza is hell on earth,” UNRWA said in a tweet.
The Israeli strikes occurred shortly after Hamas announced the launch of a rocket barrage at Tel Aviv, the first long-range attack by the group in months, with no reports of injuries.
The Israeli army claimed that the airstrikes in Rafah targeted Hamas fighters and eliminated two senior figures of the group, Yassin Rabia and Khaled Najjar.
Israel has continued its ground operations in Rafah despite global rejection and ICJ's recent order of immediately halting its military offensive in the city.
The Israeli attacks in Rafah have caused scores of casualties, forced over a million civilians to flee their homes, and obstructed aid through the crucial Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Since 7 October, the Israeli war has killed nearly 40,000 people and injured over 80,643, as reported by the Gaza health ministry.
These attacks on Rafah come amid reports suggesting that indirect talks between Hamas and Israel are expected to resume this week, aiming to reach a ceasefire and facilitate a prisoner swap deal.
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