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Tel al-Sultan airstrikes
Part of the Rafah offensive and the Israel–Hamas war
File:Rafah displacement camp airstrike.webpThe camp on fire after the strike
Location	Tel al-Sultan, Rafah, Gaza Strip
Date	26 May 2024
Deaths	45-50
Injured	65
Perpetrators	Israeli Air Force

On 26 May 2024, the Israeli Air Force bombed a displacement camp in western Rafah as part of its offensive in the city, killing between 45 and 50 people and injuring 65. The camp was located in a humanitarian area.

Israel claimed it struck a Hamas compound in the area and that casualties were from a subsequent fire. Images of the attack spread internationally, with them being described as "some of the worst" during the war. The attack received widespread condemnation, with some groups calling it a war crime and massacre.

Background

After evacuation orders were issued by Israel during the Israel-Hamas war, many areas of Gaza became depopulated, with refugees primarily traveling to Rafah. Rafah became dense and overcrowded, with over 1.4 million civilians sheltering in the area. However, when Israel invaded the city, it ordered the eastern neighborhoods evacuated as well. An estimated 950,000 civilians fled, going to other parts of southern Gaza designated as safe, including western Rafah.

Two days before the attack, International Court of Justice ordered Israel to prevent genocidal actions in Rafah.

Attack

Israeli fighter jets fired eight missiles at the Brix tent camp, located in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in western Gaza, an area deemed humanitarian. The camp was 200 meters from the largest UNRWA humanitarian aid storage warehouse, the largest in the Gaza Strip. It claimed to have targeted a Hamas compound and to have killed two senior Hamas commanders; the West Bank chief of staff Yassin Rabia and senior official Khaled Nagar, "in accordance with international law". According to an initial Israeli investigation, civilian casualties were caused by a fire that broke out, however the Palestinian Red Crescent said that the strikes directly targeted tents housing displaced people. Israel claimed it had taken steps to limit civilian casualties during the strike.

Victims

The Gaza Health Ministry claimed the attack killed at least 45 people, and ActionAid UK said it killed 50. The GHM said that 23 children and women were among the dead. Doctors Without Borders claimed that dozens of civilians were injured, with the GHM eventually confirming 65 injuries. Survivors of the attack said it "burned people alive" and destroyed an entire block. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said civilians were trapped in the flames. A video verified by NBC News showed Palestinians screaming for help in tents "engulfed by flames" with civil defense crews attempting to stop the fire. Another video showed volunteers trying to save people, with others displaying burnt corpses, including one of a child with their head torn off. Victims of the attack were rushed to the Emirati Hospital.

Reactions

Domestic

Palestine

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad condemned the attack, labeling it a massacre and calling for the Palestinian people to "rise up and march" against Israel. A spokesperson for the Presidency of the Palestinian Authority condemned the incident, also calling it a massacre.

Israel

The Israeli military said the attack was "under review", while its top military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi called the incident "very grave". Two former Israeli journalists Yinon Magal and Naveh Dromi and rapper Yoav Eliasi praised the attack, which earned outrage from social media users.

International

Governments

Spain, Ireland, and Norway condemned the attack and urged Israel to halt the offensive in a joint statement.

•  Belgium: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for further peace negotiations after the attack.
•  Egypt: the country condemned the attack, again calling on Israel to halt the Rafah offensive.
•  France: French politicians called for action against Israel for the attack, with one also calling it an "abominable massacre". President Emmanuel Macron said he was "outraged" at the attacks and again called for a ceasefire.
•  Italy: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that violence against Palestinians was "no longer justifiable".
•  Turkey: President Recep Erdoğan said condemned the attack, calling it "barbaric" and saying he would do "everything possible" to hold Israel to account.
•  Qatar: the country warned that the strike could hinder ceasefire negotiations.
•  UAE: The country condemned the attack and stressed that Israel had to follow the ICJ's ruling.
•  United Kingdom: Jeremy Corbyn, the former UK Labour Party leader, called the attack a "monstrous failure of humanity", while the current leader of the Labour party Keir Starmer says that he will push for an end to the invasion of Gaza. The UK Foreign Office reiterated that it didn't support the Rafah offensive.
•  United States: White House Office said it was aware of the reports and still gathering information.

Supranational

•  European Union: Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack, saying that Israel's attacks needed to stop.

Humanitarian aid groups

• International Committee of the Red Cross: A spokesperson for the group said there was a need to follow international law, and that Gaza's healthcare system couldn't handle the attack.
• Doctors Without Borders: the group said the attack showed "nowhere in Gaza is safe" and reiterated its call for a ceasefire, with UNRWA drawing the same conclusion.
• Palestine Red Crescent Society: the group noted that Israel forcibly displaced civilians into that area.
• ActionAid UK: the group condemned the attack.

A British doctor in the area said that videos of the attack were "truly some of the worst that I have seen".

See also

• Jabalia refugee camp airstrikes (2023–2024)
• Al-Maghazi refugee camp airstrikes
• al-Shati refugee camp airstrike

References

1. Including at least 23 women and children

1. ^ "Israel-Gaza war live: attacks on Rafah are 'horrifying', says Unrwa, as Macron says he is 'outraged'". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
2. ^ "Israel-Gaza live updates: Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK". abcnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
3. ^ "Israeli strike hits Rafah area after Hamas barrage". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
4. ^ "'No longer justifiable': Israel faces international condemnation for strike in Rafah". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
5. ^ "Middle East Crisis: Israeli Airstrike in Rafah Kills Dozens in Tent Camp, Gazan Officials Say". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
6. ^ "Israel's war on Gaza updates: 'More than 30' killed in Rafah strike". aljazeera.com. Aljazeera. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
7. "ActionAid: Conditions in Rafah at breaking point, with over one million displaced people". wafa agency.
8. Fabian, Emanuel (20 May 2024). "IDF estimates 950,000 Gazans have evacuated from Rafah amid offensive". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
9. Sharon, Jeremy; Sokol, Sam (24 May 2024). "ICJ orders Israel to halt Rafah operations that risk destruction of civilian population". www.timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
10. "Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 2 top Hamas commanders, dozens of civilians". foxnews.com. Fox News. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
11. "At least 35 killed in Israeli airstrike on displaced persons camp in Rafah, health ministry says, hours after Hamas fired rockets into Israel - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
12. Beaule, Victoria (26 May 2024). "Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK". ABC News. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
13. Rasheed, Zaheena. "'People burned alive' as Israel attacks designated safe zone in Rafah". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
14. "Israel says Rafah civilians may have died from fire set off by strike". Reuters. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
15. "Gaza war: Dozens reported killed in Israeli strike on Rafah". BBC News. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
16. "Egyptian soldier said killed in firefight with Israeli troops at Rafah Crossing". timesofisrael.com. Times of Israel. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
17. ^ "Israel strikes Rafah as pressure mounts over war in Gaza". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
18. ^ "Gaza ministry reports at least 35 killed in strike that hit civilian tents in Rafah". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
19. "At least 35 killed in Israeli airstrike on displaced persons camp in Rafah, health ministry says, hours after Hamas fired rockets into Israel". cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
20. ^ "'Heinous massacre': Israel's attack on Rafah tent camp widely condemned". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
21. "Israel's top military prosecutor says 'very grave' Rafah incident under investigation". timesofisrael.com. Times of Israel. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
22. "'Happy Holidays': Right-wing Israeli Journalists Celebrate Rafah Attack, Likening It to Lag Ba'Omer Bonfire". Haartez.
23. "Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp draws global condemnation". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
24. "French politicians call for action after Israeli bombing of displaced people's camp in Rafah". aa.com.tr. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
25. "Macron 'outraged' by Israeli attack on Rafah camp for displaced people".
26. "Italy says violence against civilians in Gaza 'no longer justifiable'". Reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
27. "Turkey will 'do everything possible' to hold Israel to account over Rafah strikes: Erdogan".
28. "Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp draws global condemnation". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
29. "'Heinous massacre': Israel's attack on Rafah tent camp widely condemned". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
30. "'Stop': UK's Starmer says he'll oppose Rafah operation".
31. "White House aware of strike on Rafah, is gathering more info, says spokesperson". timesofisrael.com. Times of Israel. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
32. "Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp draws global condemnation". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 27 May 2024.

• Current events from May 2024
• 2024 airstrikes
• 2024 building bombings
• 2024 crimes in the State of Palestine
• 2024 murders in Asia
• May 2024 crimes in Asia
• 21st-century mass murder in the State of Palestine
• Mass murder in 2024
• Airstrikes conducted by Israel
• Airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war
• Building bombings in the State of Palestine
• Israeli war crimes in the Israel–Hamas war
• Violations of medical neutrality during the Israel–Hamas war
• Rafah offensive
• UNRWA