At least 35 individuals were killed in Rafah, a southern Gaza city, after an Israeli airstrike targeted tents sheltering displaced persons, according to Palestinian medical sources.
This attack followed a rocket barrage launched by Hamas at Tel Aviv, marking the first such incident in months.
Footage from the aftermath of Sunday’s airstrike showed extensive destruction in Rafah.
The Israeli military confirmed that its air force targeted a Hamas compound, emphasizing that the strike was executed using “precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they had eliminated Hamas’ chief of staff for the West Bank and another senior official responsible for lethal attacks on Israelis.
They acknowledged reports indicating civilian casualties from the strike and subsequent fire, noting that the incident is under investigation.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the ongoing operations, as reported by his office.
A Palestinian Red Crescent Society spokesperson warned that the death toll might rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, approximately 2km (1.2 miles) northwest of the city center.
The society highlighted that the area was designated by Israel as a “humanitarian area” and was not included in the evacuation orders issued earlier this month.
The Red Cross reported an influx of casualties at its field hospital in Rafah, with other hospitals also experiencing a surge in patients.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the Rafah airstrike as a “massacre” and accused the United States of aiding Israel with weapons and financial support.
The attack occurred hours after air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and central Israel, following what the IDF identified as an eight-rocket salvo fired from Rafah.
Although most rockets were intercepted, two women sustained minor injuries while seeking shelter.
Several flights from Ben Gurion airport were delayed or canceled.
Hamas’s military wing claimed on its Telegram channel that the rockets were launched in retaliation for “Zionist massacres against civilians.”
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli airstrikes in Rafah resulted in the deaths of at least five Palestinians, according to first responders.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reacted to the attack with a post on X saying: “Rafah! With full force!”
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, added: “Today’s barrage from Rafah is proof that the IDF must act wherever Hamas is.”
The IDF also denied claims of an Israeli soldier being abducted by Hamas, despite unverified video footage released by the militant group on Saturday showing Palestinian fighters dragging an unconscious soldier through a tunnel.
Israel has continued its offensive in southern Gaza despite a United Nations order on Friday to halt the assault, citing the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Nearly nine months into the conflict, Rafah remains the only part of Gaza without ground fighting.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population sought refuge there before the offensive began.
Israel argues that a ground operation in Rafah is essential to defeat Hamas, which they believe uses Israeli hostages as human shields in the area.
Approximately 1 million people have fled since Israel’s advance into southern and eastern Gaza earlier this month.
Aid deliveries have stalled as fierce fighting blocks the Rafah border crossing and the nearby Kerem Shalom goods crossing.
Residents in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, also reported ground fighting on Sunday.
Hamas has managed to regroup and launch attacks across northern and central Gaza despite Israeli control.
Israel’s planned attack on Rafah has faced opposition from allies like the US, which warned that overcrowded conditions could lead to substantial civilian casualties.
However, Washington’s stance has softened since the operation began.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in Hamas’s surprise assault on October 7, with an additional 250 taken hostage.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, almost 36,000 people have died in the ensuing war, with no distinction made between civilians and combatants.
Efforts to broker a new truce after a week-long cessation of hostilities in November have repeatedly failed.
The latest round of talks, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, stalled after Israel’s attack on Rafah.
US intelligence officials met with Israeli and Qatari delegations in Paris on Friday to revive negotiations.
However, Hamas downplayed any progress, stating that they had not received any new dates for the resumption of talks, contrary to Israeli media reports.
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