At least 25 Palestinians were killed and 50 others injured on Friday when Israeli forces shelled tents housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area in western Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the Health Ministry in Gaza said the death toll from the Israeli attack on tents in the Al-Mawasi area rose to 25, with 50 others injured, reported the Anadolu news agency.
Witnesses told Anadolu that two Israeli Merkava tanks positioned on a hill opposite the Shakoush area in western Rafah fired artillery shells at a gathering of displaced people near the gate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) field hospital, resulting in multiple casualties.
The ICRC confirmed in a statement that “heavy-caliber projectiles landed within meters” of its office and residences.
“The strike damaged the structure of the ICRC office, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, including many of our Palestinian colleagues.”
The ICRC office in Gaza, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, was damaged by nearby shelling in Gaza.
Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures puts the lives of civilians and humanitarians at risk. https://t.co/SVrwaQ9cNV
— ICRC (@ICRC) June 21, 2024
The organization said the location of its office was known to “the parties to the conflict”.
“Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures, of whose locations the parties to the conflict are aware and which are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, puts the lives of civilians and Red Cross staff at risk.”
‘One of Several’ Incidents
The organization added that the “grave security incident is one of several in recent days,” adding that previously stray bullets have reached ICRC structures.
“Under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict have an obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians and damage to civilian objects, including humanitarian facilities,” the statement said.
The Al-Mawasi area was designated by the Israeli military as a “safe haven” for Palestinians following its ground invasion of Rafah in early May.
The area, which spans 7.5 miles (12 km) along the Mediterranean coast, lacks residential infrastructure, with no sewage systems, electricity lines, or communication networks. Most of the land is divided into agricultural greenhouses or sandy expanses, according to Anadolu.
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The displaced population in the area face dire conditions, with severe shortages of basic resources such as water, sanitation, medical care, and food.
Earlier Airstrike
In the early hours of Thursday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a residence in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, resulting in multiple casualties among the occupants.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave reported that two women were killed and twelve others were injured when the airstrike struck the home of the Jadallah family in the Al-Husayna area of the camp.
In addition to the airstrike in Nuseirat, Israeli artillery targeted areas east of the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza.
Further strikes were reported in central and western Rafah, as well as east of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza.
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Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,431 Palestinians have been killed, and 85,653 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, Anadolu)
