Netanyahu admits ‘tragic mistake’ as civilians were ‘burnt alive’ in Rafah camp
Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to a “tragic mistake” after an Israeli strike on a tent camp full of Palestinians in Gaza triggered global condemnation.
Israel admitted to striking a tent camp full of displaced Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday night, killing dozens and triggering calls from global leaders and senior Israeli officials for an end to the fighting.
Thousands were taking shelter in Tel al-Sultan having fled from the east of the city where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation orders and began a ground offensive earlier this month.
Israel admitted civilian casualties in Rafah but said its forces were aiming at a Hamas compound, killing two senior commanders.
The airstrike killed Yassin Rabia, who was responsible for funding and overseeing Hamas operations in the West Bank, and Khaled Nagar, a senior officer in Hamas’s West Bank wing, according to the Israeli military.
On Monday, Mr Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament: “In Rafah, we evacuated a million uninvolved residents and, despite our best efforts, a tragic accident happened yesterday.”
He said an investigation was underway.
The overnight attack came a few hours after Tel Aviv was targeted with a rare barrage of missiles from Rafah, the first one in months.
Meanwhile, scores died and many more were injured when the Israeli airstrike hit the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, in western Rafah, on Sunday night, causing a blast at the camp and killing many, including women and children inside, local health officials said.
Eyewitnesses told Reuters the tents were “melting” from the bombardment, burning people alive.
At least 35 people were killed and dozens were injured, most of them women and children, a spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said in the early hours on Monday.
Israel’s top military prosecutor described the bombing in Rafah as “very grave”.
“The details of the incident are still under an investigation, which we are committed to conducting to the fullest extent,” Maj Gen Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi told a conference hosted by the Israel Bar Association.
“The IDF regrets any harm to non-combatants during the war.”
On Monday, Egypt condemned what it called the “deliberate bombardment by Israeli forces of displaced peoples’ tents”.
Jordan also expressed its condemnation, accusing Israel of committing “ongoing war crimes”. Qatar, meanwhile, said the bombing could hinder a ceasefire and hostage deal.
In a statement early on Monday, the IDF said: “The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’s use of the area.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review.”
Rare criticism of the ongoing Israeli offensive came on Monday from Gadi Eisenkot, a much-respected minister in the war cabinet and close ally of Israel’s most popular politician Benny Gantz.
Mr Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff well-connected with the Biden administration, said on Monday Israel needs to halt the fighting in Rafah and prioritise ceasefire talks with Hamas to secure the release of the Israeli hostages who have been in captivity for over eight months.
“[Israel] should reach the finish line in the fighting in Rafah and move forward with the hostage deal – as an obligation and as a strategic necessity of the State of Israel,” Mr Eisenkot said.
The senior official, whose son died fighting in Gaza last year, also echoed a widespread belief among Israel watchers that Mr Netanyahu’s stated goal of a “total victory” over Hamas is an illusion.
Reports and medics on the ground in Rafah reported widespread scenes of death and devastation, with many bodies charged and barely identifiable from blast impact on plain tents.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he was “shocked” by the overnight scenes from Rafah and said the Israeli offensive must stop.
Asked what he would tell Mr Netanyahu if he were prime minister, the Labour leader said: “Stop. Those scenes, those reports, are horrifying and what makes it worse was this was a safe zone with women and children and families that have already fled a number of times.
“It’s horrifying to see that. I’ve been saying for some time the Rafah offensive should not take place.”
He added: “I was shocked by what I saw overnight, I think any human being would be shocked by what they saw. It’s got to stop.”
Hisham Mhanna, of the International Committee of the Red Cross, spoke of hospitals overwhelmed by dealing with the injured.
“A deadly night in Rafah,” he tweeted. “The ICRC field hospital has dealt with an influx of casualties with injuries and burns.”
The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees said on Monday it had lost contact with its employees on the ground and could not immediately establish their location.
On Monday, the EU foreign policy chief called on Israel to adhere to the International Court of Justice ruling that specifically ordered Israel to stand down in Rafah while the prime minister of Spain said he will urge his counterparts to pass a joint appeal on Israel to comply with the ruling.
The foreign ministry of Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas in talks to release Israeli hostages from Gaza, said on Monday the Rafah attack could hinder its mediation efforts.
Mediated talks are expected to resume this week.
Sunday night’s attack was the single biggest loss of life in Rafah since Israel launched an operation there despite overwhelming global calls, urging against what many predicted would be a bloodbath.
The US, Israel’s key ally, has spoken vehemently against the Rafah offensive but US officials in recent days indicated that what they had been seeing in Rafah so far is quite limited and does not cross their red lines.
