Deadly Attack on Palestinians in Rafah
The Israeli army continues its attacks on Rafah despite the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop the violence. According to reports from the Palestinian official agency WAFA, the Israeli army targeted a house in the Tel es-Sultan neighborhood in the west of Rafah using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), resulting in one death and one injury. In a separate attack on the Khirbet al-Ades region in the north of Rafah, one person was killed and several others, including children and women, were injured.
Additionally, Israeli artillery units reportedly bombed the area around the Gaza Valley, north of the Nusayrat Refugee Camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip. The exact number of casualties from this attack is unknown.
Since May 7, the Rafah Border Gate has been closed following an Israeli seizure of the Gaza side of the border gate with Egypt. This closure significantly impacts the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, exacerbating the region’s food shortage.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that Israel has carried out attacks on the Gaza Strip for 255 days, resulting in numerous casualties. The statement highlighted two recent “massacres” in Gaza, with 10 Palestinians killed and 73 injured in the last 24 hours alone. The total number of deaths from Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, now stands at 37,347, with 85,372 injured.
Efforts to retrieve bodies trapped under rubble or on the roadside have been hampered by Israeli obstacles, preventing medical teams and civil defense officials from reaching them. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the War Cabinet, established as a “state of emergency government,” amidst escalating violence.
In a concerning development, the Israeli army set fire to the passenger building at the Rafah Border Gate, rendering it unusable. This gate is the only lifeline for Gaza, serving as the region’s sole gateway to the outside world apart from Israel. The ongoing violence in Rafah underscores the urgent need for international intervention to protect civilian lives and prevent further bloodshed.
