Palestinian officials accused Israel on Monday, May 27, of bombing a center for displaced people near Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army, for its part, said it had struck a Hamas compound in which “major terrorists” were operating.
According to Hamas authorities, at least 35 people were killed and dozens of others injured in this bombing on Sunday evening. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its ambulances transported “a large number” of people killed or injured in the attack.
“This atrocious massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupying forces defies all international resolutions,” the Palestinian presidency wrote in a statement. She accused Israel of having “deliberately targeted” the Barkasat displaced persons camp, run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) northwest of Rafah. “We call on the masses of our people in the West Bank, in Jerusalem, in the occupied territories and abroad to stand up and march in anger,” wrote the Islamist movement Hamas in a statement, denouncing a “horrible massacre” .
“Important terrorists”
The Israeli army, for its part, claimed that one of its planes had “struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which important terrorists were operating”, including two leaders of the movement in the West Bank, Yacine Rabia and Khaled Nagar. “The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, thanks to the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence,” she assured in a press release.
She further indicated “that she is aware of information according to which several civilians in the area have been injured.” Since May 7, the Israeli army has stepped up operations to destroy the last Hamas battalions in Rafah.
Fighting continued over the weekend, despite a decision on Friday by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to suspend its operations in this sector, which is essential for the entry of humanitarian aid.