Israeli bombings in Rafah Refugee Camp

Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli

Monday 27, Tal al Sultan area, near Rafah, in the Gaza’s Strip is a mass of burnt tents. Under them killed women, children and elderly people, they were not able to escape. Some hours before, some Israeli bombings hit the Refugee Camp, killing at least 40 Palestinians and leaving injured some others. Bombings hit, without any warnings, a Refugee Camp, in the North-west of Rafah, an area protected from those at the center of Israeli military actions. “It was as if the metal was collapsing”, declares a Palestinian woman, a mother. One of Rafah’s inhabitant stated that “air attacks burnt some tents, which are melting with some bodies inside”. 

This area was designated as “humanitarian area”, where civilians were able to shelter, in case of a possible Rafah’s invasion. Israeli wanted to proceed its land operations in Rafah, where Hamas’ leadership is thought to be camped together with some soldiers and Israeli hostages. According to the Israeli army, the aim of the bombings, with precision munitions, was an area used by Hamas’ soldiers. Indeed two Hamas’ leaders were killed: Yassin Rabia e Khaled Nagar, senior officials in Hamas’ West Bank command. Israeli shot missiles from Rafah. Before bombings began, Hamas shot some rockets towards Tel Aviv, the first since January, but this caused any injured or killed people. On Telegram, one of the member of Hamas stated that they were shot due to the Zionist slaughter against Palestinians, that killed five people after Rafah’s air attacks on last Sunday. 

Last Friday, the International Court of Justice order Israel to halt its offensive on Rafah. The Court itself defined the situation as “disastrous”, because life conditions of people are “further worsen”, due to the lack of food. Israel thinks that this order leaves space to a military action. Tzachi Hanegbi, national security expert serving as Israel’s National Security, stated that Israel hans’t committed and won’t commit any genocide in Rafah, but, according to the international law, it has right to protect itself, which is an action that, according to him, the Court is impeding. 

International powers and agencies condemned the Israeli attack, starting from Saudi Arabia till United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and France. Somo countries, like Qatar, are warned about the mediation process, lasting months to cease fire in the Gaza’s Strip. In a statement, Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, condemned Israeli attacks on Rafah, but he is extremely warned about children and women. For this reason, he asked Israeli authorities to find the people in charge and take measures, in order to better protect civilians. 

According to Washington Post, since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, 36,050 Palestinians were killed, and 81,026 were injured, only in Gaza. Rafah, near the Egyptian border, is the only part of the Gaza’s Strip to be isolated from land attacks. Last Sunday’s attack occurred in a place, that should have been safe. Nevertheless, as Doctors Without Borders underline on X, this attack “shows, again, that any place is safe”

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