What happened when Israel attacked Rafah?
Palestinians search through burning debris after an Israeli strike on a displacement camp in Rafah on 27 May 2024
Al Jazeera reports on 28 May 2024:
Thirteen out of 21 people killed by Israel in an air strike on the so-called “safe area” of al-Mawasi were civilian women and girls, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported on Tuesday. This was the second attack since Sunday, with a horrifying strike on Sunday night setting displaced people’s shelters ablaze not too far from Tuesday’s strike.
The world had watched, aghast, on Monday as displaced Palestinians were forced to dig through smouldering remains with their bare hands – looking for bodies, or injured people, or in some cases, a few scraps of food they could salvage to keep their families going a bit longer.As reports further clarify what happened on Tuesday, here are the details of Sunday’s attack:
When and where was this attack?
The attack happened at night on May 26. It was inflicted on an encampment of makeshift shelters just north of Rafah city, in an area called Tal as-Sultan. It came after United States President Joe Biden said a “major offensive” by Israel on Rafah would be a red line.
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Who were the people killed?
Thousands of civilians had been sheltering in the Tal as-Sultan area, seeking some minimal protection from the continuous Israeli attacks across Gaza. The Israeli government had not issued any orders to evacuate the area before it attacked.
How many people died?
Israel killed at least 45 people in the offensive. The total number of injured people is hard to determine, as the hospital where casualties were taken has closed after a subsequent Israeli drone attack on its entrance that killed two members of staff