Israel strikes Rafah hours after Netanyahu’s ‘tragic mistake’ admission

A Palestinian man cries at the sight of a killed loved one in Rafah (Picture: Reuters)

A ‘tragic mistake’ – this is how prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel’s bombing of a shelter in southern Gaza, while doubling down with his massacre.

Corpses of Palestinians ‘burnt alive’ in Sunday’s attack are still being recounted in the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.

At least 45 people were killed and dozens more injured in a tent camp, located in a designated safe zone.

In the meantime, Netanyahu is pressing ahead with his offensive, killing 16 more people in the same area, in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood.

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah (Picture: Reuters)

Rafah has been described as ‘hell on Earth’. Famine is only deepening and doctors have run out of medical supplies to treat those injured long ago. This is all without Israel’s fighter jets targeting the refugee camps.

‘It was a night of horror,’ said Abdel-Rahman Abu Ismail, a Palestinian from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Tel al-Sultan since December.

He recalled hearing ‘constant sounds’ of explosions overnight and into Tuesday morning, with fighter jets and drones flying over the area.

He said it reminded him of the Israeli invasion of of his neighborhood of Shijaiyah in Gaza City, where Israel launched a heavy bombing campaign before sending in ground forces in late 2023.

‘We saw this before,’ he said.

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp area housing internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024 (Picture: AFP)

People on the ground have said that Israeli tanks and other army vehicles are also advancing in Rafah.

It is understood that they have reached the centre of Rafah for the first time just a few hours ago.

‘Tank shells are falling everywhere in [Tal as-Sultan]. Many families have fled their houses in western Rafah under fire throughout the night,’ a resident told Reuters over a chat app.

Most are heading for the crowded Mawasi area, where tent camps have been set up on a barren coastline, or to Khan Younis, a southern city that suffered damage during months of fighting.

Sayed al-Masri, a Rafah resident, said: ‘The situation is worsening in Rafah.’

Netanyahu called the strike a ‘tragic mistake’ (Picture: AP)

Over the past 24 hours, testimonies have described the ‘very worst’ of attacks in the city since the offensive began three weeks ago.

Israel has kept up attacks despite a ruling by the top U.N. court on Friday ordering it to stop.

It has faced much international criticism over its war, with even some of its closest allies, particularly the US, expressing outrage at the number of civilian deaths. But supplies of weaponry has continued.

UK foreign secretary David Cameron called for an investigation by the military into the Rafah air strikes, saying it must be ‘swift, comprehensive and transparent’.

For context, Britain supplied £42 million of arms to the Netanyahu government in 2022, and has continued to support Israel since October 7.

At least 45 people were killed in the bombing on Sunday (Picture: AP)

In the last few hours, the US-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

In a damning statement, the non-profit also accused the US of being ‘complicit’ in genocide, adding: ‘The Lemkin Institute has had it with the cynical lies and propaganda from Israel and the USA.

‘One can have different views about the definition of genocide, but one may not use definitional disputes to deny genocide. If a genocide may be occurring, every nation is compelled by customary law to try to stop it.

‘Let us be clear: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The US is complicit in genocide. These are not political statements. They are statements that are made from knowledge and experience.

‘Nevertheless, you do not need a PhD, a law degree, or X-ray vision to see the genocidal dimensions of Israel’s carnage in Gaza.

‘It is clear in the behavior of the state and its military, on full display in yesterday’s horrific bombardment of a Rafah camp.

‘But even if there were legitimate doubts about Israel’s genocide, there is no doubt that Israel is committing atrocity crimes of the most barbaric kind.’

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