Netanyahu says deadly Israeli strike in Rafah was the result of a ‘tragic mishap’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a “tragic mishap” was made in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The strike only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest allies expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Israel insists it adheres to international law even as it faces scrutiny in the world’s top courts, one of which last week demanded that it halt the offensive in Rafah.
Netanyahu did not elaborate on the error. Israel’s military initially said it had carried out a precise airstrike on a Hamas compound, killing two senior militants. As details of the strike and fire emerged, the military said it had opened an investigation into the deaths of civilians.
From right, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno and Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin pose for a photo, at the end of a media conference, during talks on the Middle East, in Brussels, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Relations between EU and Israel plummet as Spain, Ireland prepare to recognize a Palestinian state
Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammed Mustafa, left, speaks after receiving a document handed over by Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, right, prior to a meeting for talks on the Middle East in Brussels, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Norway on Sunday handed over papers to the Palestinian prime minister to officially give it diplomatic recognition as a state in a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel. The formal recognition by Norway, Spain and Ireland, which all have a record of friendly ties with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, while long advocating for a Palestinian state, is planned for Tuesday. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
EU foreign chief says Israel must respect UN court, control settler violence in the West Bank
A Palestinian child wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip waits for the treatment at Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes kill 35 in Gaza’s Rafah as displaced people are hit
Sunday night’s attack, which appeared to be one of the war’s deadliest, helped push the overall Palestinian death toll in the war above 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and noncombatants in its tally.
“Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mishap,” Netanyahu said Monday in an address to Israel’s parliament. “We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy.”
Mohammed Abuassa, who rushed to the scene in the northwestern neighborhood of Tel al-Sultan, said rescuers “pulled out people who were in an unbearable state.”
“We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal,” he said.
At least 45 people were killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service. The ministry said the dead included at least 12 women, eight children and three older adults, with another three bodies burned beyond recognition.
erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv erv
The post Netanyahu says deadly Israeli strike in Rafah was the result of a ‘tragic mishap’ appeared first on The Muslim News.