By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL – The Times of Israel (TOI) reported Monday on an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike on a displaced people camp which Israel said was a direct strike, targeting two senior Hamas terrorists, claiming the strike was in line with international law. In response, Israel’s top military prosecutor called the Rafah incident “very grave” and said it’s under investigation. Palestinians reported over 35 dead while the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Egypt accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians at the dsiplaced people camp. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry on Monday, said this latest strike could delay any hostage deal talks as well. After the incident, Israel is facing international outrage and condemnation for the strike that TOI said took place Sunday night. Israel’s strike has also reportedly hit an area in Rafah’s Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah where thousands of people were sheltering. On Monday afternoon, the Hamas-run health ministry reported the death toll rose to at least 40 with 65 people wounded though exact figures haven’t been verified.
The U.N. Refugee and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the situation in Gaza is “hell on earth” after the Israeli attack. In a statement, UNRWA said: “Information coming out of Rafah about further attacks on families seeking shelter is horrifying.” UNRWA further stated: “There are reports of mass casualties including children and women among those killed.” Israel’s military said it’s reviewing the incident and described its attack as a precise airstrike, killing the Hamas chief of staff for the West Bank, Yassin Rabia. EU leaders weighed in on the strike with French President Emmanual Macron calling for an immediate ceasefire and “full respect for international law.” Macron stated on social media: “Outraged by the Israeli strikes that have killed many displaced persons in Rafah.” “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians.” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that the international community faces the quintessential issue of how it can “enforce implementation” of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order, handed down last week, that calls on Israel to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah. Though ICJ orders are binding, there is no way for the World Court (WC) to enforce them. In the meantime, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu claims Israel has to control Rafah to eliminate Hamas battalions and reach its goal of what Netanyahu calls “total victory” over Hamas who recently regrouped on other areas of Gaza.
