Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that an Israeli strike on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza resulted in a "tragic mistake" that caused a fire in a camp for displaced Palestinians, where at least 45 people were killed, according to local authorities. UNN writes about this with reference to CTV News.
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Despite our best efforts to avoid harming innocent civilians, a tragic mistake was made last night. We are investigating the incident and will draw conclusions, as is our policy
Netanyahu did not specify what exactly the mistake was. Initially, the Israeli military said it had conducted a precision air strike on a Hamas facility, killing two high-ranking militants. When details of the strike and the shelling emerged, the military said it had launched an investigation into the deaths of civilians.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service, at least 45 people were killed. The ministry said that at least 12 women, eight children and three elderly people were among the dead, and three more bodies were burned beyond recognition.
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Netanyahu said that Israel must destroy the last Hamas battalions in Rafah. On Sunday, the militants fired a barrage of rockets from the city toward the densely populated central part of Israel, no one was injured in the attack.
Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city on the border with Egypt, is currently home to more than a million people - about half of Gaza's population. Hundreds of thousands of people live in tent camps in and around the city.
Israel says it is doing its best to abide by the laws of war, and says it is dealing with an enemy that does not make such commitments, embeds itself in civilian areas, and refuses to unconditionally release Israeli hostages.
The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency closed-door meeting on the situation in Rafah for Tuesday afternoon at the request of Algeria, the Arab representative on the Council, two Council diplomats told the Associated Press before the official announcement.
Суд ООН зобов'язав Ізраїль припинити операцію у Рафаху24.05.24, 16:59