Tel Aviv, Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday (May 27) called the deadly strike by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah a “tragic accident”. The strike on tent camps, according to the Gaza health ministry killed at least 45 people and injured nearly 250 others. 

Advertisment

‘Tragic accident’

“In Rafah, we evacuated a million uninvolved residents and, despite our best efforts, a tragic accident happened yesterday,” the Israeli PM told the parliament (Knesset), adding that they are investigating the case and will draw conclusions. 

Israel faced a wave of international criticism and condemnation after the deadly strike in Rafah, but Netanyahu struck a defiant tone during his address while being heckled by relatives of hostages held in Gaza and vowed to keep up the ongoing military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas.

Advertisment

Also Read | Death toll after Israeli strike on Rafah camp rises to 45: Gaza health ministry

“There is no substitute for absolute victory,” said Netanyahu. The Israeli PM also denounced the pressure which his government has been facing since the beginning of the war. 

“They pressured us then…Don’t enter Gaza. We entered! Do not enter Shifa! We entered! Do not enter Khan Yunis! We entered! Do not enter Rafah! We entered!” said the Israeli PM listing the military operations which Israel carried out in the Palestinian enclave. 

Advertisment

He added, “I don’t give up and I won’t give up! I stand up to pressures from home and abroad.”

A survivor said families were preparing to sleep when the strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood where thousands were sheltering there after Israeli forces began a ground offensive in the east of Rafah over two weeks ago.

“We were praying...and we were getting our children’s beds ready to sleep. There was nothing unusual, then we heard a very loud noise, and fire erupted around us,” Umm Mohamed Al-Attar, a Palestinian mother, told Reuters. 

Rafah strike sparks international criticism 

In an interview with SkyTG24 TV, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza were no longer justifiable in one of the strongest criticisms Rome has made so far against Israel amid the ongoing war. 

“There is an increasingly difficult situation, in which the Palestinian people are being squeezed without regard for the rights of innocent men, women and children who have nothing to do with Hamas and this can no longer be justified,” said Crosetto, adding, “We are watching the situation with despair.” 

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was “horrified by news coming out of Rafah”. He added, “I condemn this in the strongest terms”. He also accused Netanyahu of using false claims of antisemitism against the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his own political ends.

Also Read | Egypt confirms soldier killed amid reports of firefight with Israeli troops on Gaza border

Meanwhile, the African Union accused Israel of violating international law. 

Israel “continues to violate international law with impunity and in contempt of an ICJ (International Court of Justice) ruling two days ago ordering an end to its military action in Rafah,” said AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would do “everything possible” to hold “barbaric” Netanyahu accountable after the strikes in Rafah. 

The United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk  said that the images from the camp which was struck by Israel “are horrific and point to no apparent change in the methods and means of warfare used by Israel that have already led to so many civilian deaths.”

The UN has also urged Israel to conduct a "thorough and transparent" investigation into a strike and "hold those responsible for any wrongdoing to account."

(With inputs from agencies)