what we know about the Israeli strike on a displaced persons camp in Rafah, which left at least 40 dead according to the Palestinian authorities

At least 65 people were also injured in the center of Barkasat, according to a Civil Defense official in the Gaza Strip. For its part, Israel claims to have struck “important terrorists”.

Tents reduced to ashes. According to Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip, Israel bombed a center for displaced people near Rafah, in the south of the enclave, on Sunday May 26. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, the toll is at least 40 dead and 65 injured. The Israeli army, for its part, claims to have targeted a Hamas compound in which “important terrorists”. Here is what we know about this deadly strike.

At least 40 dead and a death toll likely to rise

The strike took place managed by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). “The massacre committed by the Israeli occupation army in the refugee tents in the northwest of the town of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, left 40 ‘martyrs’ and 65 injured”said Mohammed al-Mughayyir, a Civil Defense official in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, cited by the site The Times of IsraelLThe balance sheet risks increasing, its ambulances having transported “a big number” of people injured during the attack. A journalist from the Israeli public channel Kan relays images of the burned camp on X.

תיעודים רבים (חלקם קשים, פה חסכתי) אזור אוהלי עקורים ברפיח, לפי כלי התקשורת שם כתוצאה מתקיפת צה”ל דווח. על עשרות נפגעים, בהם כ-30 הכול לפי מקורות עזתיים כרגע. pic.twitter.com/23D3ekNJu7

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) May 26, 2024

The Islamist movement in power in the enclave denounced a “horrible massacre”calling “the masses of our people in the West Bank, in Jerusalem, in the occupied territories and abroad to stand up and march in anger”.

The presidency of the Palestinian Authority, which rules the occupied West Bank, also protests against “this atrocious massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupying forces”, “a challenge to all international resolutions”.

Israel claims to have targeted “a Hamas compound”

The Israeli army, for its part, affirmed, in a press release relayed on X, that one of its planes had “hit a Hamas compound in Rafah where major terrorists were operating”including two leaders of the movement in the West Bank, Yacine Rabia and Khaled Nagar.

🔴 Eliminated in an airstrike northwest of Rafah: the Hamas chief of staff in Judea and Samaria and another senior Hamas official.

1/5 https://t.co/yojaPVTUCw

— IDF (@IDF_IDF) May 26, 2024

According to the Israeli army, Yacine Rabia “oversaw all Hamas terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria [nom donné par Israël à la Cisjordanie]sent funds to terrorist targets and organized Hamas attacks throughout the region. As for Khaled Nagar, “he transferred funds intended for Hamas’ terrorist activities in Gaza and also carried out several terrorist attacks in which IDF soldiers were killed.”

Israeli army admits to hitting civilians

“The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence”, also assured the Israeli army in its press release. She further indicated “become aware of reports that several civilians in the area have been injured”. “The incident is under investigation”she added.

Strikes in other areas of Rafah were also reported late Sunday. The Kuwaiti Hospital said it had received the bodies of three people, including that of a pregnant woman. Since May 7, the Israeli army has been increasing operations in Rafah, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip where many internally displaced persons having fled the rest of the enclave had taken refuge.

The fighting continued over the weekend despite a decision by the International Court of Justice on Friday ordering Israel to suspend its operations in the city, where there is a key crossing point with Egypt at the entrance to the ‘humanitarian aid.

Egypt criticizes “deliberate bombing” by Israel

On Monday, Egypt, a border country, condemned a “deliberate bombing” of Israel on this displaced persons camp. From Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in a statement on Israel to “implement the measures decreed by the International Court of Justice concerning an immediate cessation of military operations” in the Palestinian town of Rafah.