Israeli Forces Shell Tent Camps in Gaza

Israeli forces shelled tent camps for displaced Palestinians outside Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, resulting in a tragic outcome. At least 25 people lost their lives, and another 50 were wounded, as reported by the territory’s health officials and emergency workers. The attack took place in the midst of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, leading to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

This is not the first deadly attack in the Gaza Strip. Just a month ago, an Israeli bombing triggered a deadly fire that swept through a camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, sparking international outrage. The military’s increasing offensive into Rafah has drawn widespread condemnation, even from some of Israel’s closest allies.

According to eye-witnesses, Israeli forces fired a second round of shells, targeting people who emerged from their tents near a Red Cross field hospital north of Rafah. This resulted in a significant number of casualties, including 22 dead and 45 wounded, as confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The firing of "high-caliber projectiles" near the facility was strongly condemned by the ICRC.

Response from Authorities

The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported the number of people killed and wounded in the attacks. The Israeli military, on the other hand, stated that the episode is under review and denied carrying out any strike inside the designated safe zone, known as Muwasi. Israel maintains that its targets are Hamas fighters and infrastructure and attributes civilian casualties to the militants operating among the population.

International Criticism

With Israel’s war against Hamas entering its ninth month, international criticism is mounting over the systematic destruction in Gaza, leading to a large number of civilian casualties. The top United Nations court has raised concerns about a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza, an accusation strongly denied by Israel.

Survivors of the attack near the Red Cross hospital shared their harrowing experiences. One woman, Mona Ashour, described the sequence of events that led to her husband’s tragic death, while another man, Hasan al-Najjar, recounted how his sons were killed while trying to help panicked civilians after the initial strike.

Humanitarian Crisis

Following the continued conflict, Israel is pressing ahead with its invasion of Rafah, forcing over a million Palestinians to seek refuge elsewhere. The United Nations has warned that no place in Gaza is safe, and humanitarian conditions are dire, with families sheltering in tents and cramped apartments without adequate food, water, or medical supplies.

Additional casualties were reported in the northern Gaza Strip, where Civil Defense teams recovered the bodies of five people killed in an airstrike. The dire situation was emphasized by Fadel Naeem, the orthopedic chief at al-Ahli hospital, who described the day as “difficult and brutal.”

Israeli Army Casualties

Amid the ongoing conflict, the Israeli army announced the deaths of two soldiers in combat in central Gaza, with three others severely injured. The toll of the war has been heavy, with more than 37,400 people losing their lives, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The war was initiated by Israel after Hamas’ attack, which resulted in the death of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the abduction of about 250.