Israeli tanks reached the center of Rafah on Tuesday, just after an Israeli air strike ignited a fire in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians, killing at least 45 people on Sunday, provoking global condemnation and calls for a ceasefire.
According to Reuters, the Israeli military took control of the Al-Awda roundabout, a key landmark in the city’s central area, three weeks after initiating their ground invasion. Witnesses reported intense fighting as Israeli forces advanced with at least 16 Palestinians killed in air strikes on Tuesday in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in northwest Rafah.
The conflict, now in its eighth month, has drawn severe international criticism for the high number of civilian casualties.
“We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal,” Mohammed Abuassa, a witness at the scene tent camp, told the Associated Press.
International leaders have condemned the attack and urged Israel to halt its operations. “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire,” France’s President Emmanuel Macron posted on X.
A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council echoed these concerns, stating, “Israel has a right to go after Hamas but must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the incident in the Israeli parliament on Monday, calling it a “tragic mistake.” He added, “We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy.”
However, rights groups argue that Israel routinely fails to fully investigate violence against Palestinians and that accountability is rare. Hours before the Sunday strike, Hamas launched eight long-range rockets from southeastern Rafah toward central Israel. Most were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, causing no injuries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Sunday strike, saying it had “killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict. There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop.”
In response to the escalating violence, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah.” The ICJ’s chief prosecutor announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other Israeli and Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Despite the international outcry, Netanyahu remains resolute. “I don’t intend to end the war before every goal has been achieved,” he stated. “We are using our best efforts not to harm those uninvolved in the conflict.”
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that one of its facilities received at least 28 dead and treated 180 wounded following the strike. “The attack on a populated camp in a so-called ‘safe zone’ in Rafah shows the complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza,” MSF said.
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called the strike “horrifying” and insisted that Israel respect the ICJ ruling to halt strikes on Rafah.
Since the war began in October, the Hamas-led Gaza Ministry of Health reports that at least 36,000 Palestinians have been killed, figures deemed credible by the U.S. and U.N. About 1,200 Israelis were killed during the October 7 Hamas attack, and an additional 300 Israeli soldiers have died since the ground invasion began.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire, with around 1.5 million displaced Gazans sheltering in Rafah. Many have been forced to flee again due to the intense fighting.
As the conflict continues, the international community remains focused on finding a resolution. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens daily, with urgent calls for a ceasefire and adherence to international humanitarian law.
