Deadly Israeli airstrike on Gaza refugee camp kills 45, wounds 200. UN condemns "utterly unacceptable" attack as possible "war crime." Raises tensions amid wider Israeli-Hamas conflict.
A deadly Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Rafah, Gaza has sparked international outrage and condemnation. The attack killed 45 Palestinians sheltering there and wounded 200 others. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths called it "utterly unacceptable" and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's explanation that it was a "tragic mistake."
Griffiths said "Whether a war crime or mistake, for Gazans there is no debate. What happened was the latest, possibly most cruel, abomination." He noted the UN had warned an operation in Rafah would lead to a slaughter, yet Israel ignored it. Netanyahu claimed Israel killed two senior Hamas militants but said "a tragic mistake happened."
UN human rights chief Volker Turk decried the "horrific" images, saying there was no change in Israel's warfare methods leading to civilian deaths. He urged Israel to heed the International Court order to halt its Rafah offensive. EU leader Charles Michel also condemned the "horrendous" killings of innocent Palestinians.
The attack came amid wider Israeli-Hamas violence sparked by an October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli officials. Israel's counteroffensive has killed over 36,000 Palestinians so far. Hamas is holding around 100 hostages.
Qatar warned the attack could complicate efforts to mediate a ceasefire and secure the hostages' return. The UN Palestinian refugee agency described the situation in Gaza as "hell on earth" after the "horrifying" attack on displaced families sheltering there.
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