CAIRO/JERUSALEM. An Israeli airstrike in the Gaza city of Rafah has resulted in the deaths of 45 people, igniting a massive blaze and prompting an outcry from global leaders. The attack on the tent camp late Sunday night left Palestinian families scrambling to hospitals with their dead and wounded.
“We were praying… and we were getting our children’s beds ready to sleep. There was nothing unusual, then we heard a very loud noise, and fire erupted around us,” recounted Umm Mohamed Al-Attar, a Palestinian mother. “All the children started screaming… The sound was terrifying; we felt like the metal was about to collapse on us, and shrapnel fell into the rooms.”
The strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, where thousands had sought refuge following an Israeli ground offensive in eastern Rafah two weeks ago. Video footage shows a fire raging in the darkness as people scream in panic, with young men trying to move sheets of corrugated iron while a lone fire truck attempts to douse the flames.
Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza reported that more than half of the dead were women, children, and elderly people, and the death toll is expected to rise due to severe burns.
Israel’s military has stated it is investigating whether the strike, intended to target Hamas commanders, caused the fire. The military claimed the operation eliminated Hamas’ chief of staff for the West Bank and another official responsible for attacks on Israelis. This followed the interception of eight rockets fired toward Israel from the Rafah area.
Global leaders condemned the attack. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his outrage, declaring, “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians.” Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for adherence to the International Court of Justice’s ruling to halt the assault. “International humanitarian law applies to all, including Israel’s conduct of the war,” Baerbock stated.
By daylight, the camp was a scene of devastation with smoking wreckage, twisted metal, and charred belongings. Abed Mohammed Al-Attar, who lost several relatives in the fire, lamented, “The army is a liar. There is no security in Gaza. Here he (my brother) is with his wife, they were martyred. What have they done to deserve this? Their children have been orphaned.”
Hospitals in Rafah were overwhelmed with the wounded, and some patients were transferred to facilities in Khan Younis for treatment. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as a “heinous massacre.”
The ongoing conflict has claimed over 36,000 Palestinian lives according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel launched its operation after a Hamas-led attack on October 7 killed around 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages. Despite the global condemnation, Israel asserts its goal is to eliminate Hamas fighters and rescue hostages in Rafah.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin decried the violence, saying, “On top of the hunger, on top of the starvation, the refusal to allow aid in sufficient volumes, what we witnessed last night is barbaric.” Egypt and several Gulf nations also condemned the attack, with Qatar warning that the strike could impede efforts to mediate a ceasefire and hostage exchange.
As Israeli tanks continue to advance around Rafah, near the crossing point into Egypt, the international community calls for an end to the violence and the protection of civilian lives.
