Israel Advances Further Into Rafah After Fatal Attack Kills 45

(NewsReady.com) – The outrage over Israel’s military operations in Gaza is growing. Dozens of people died in an attack in Rafah recently. Despite the death toll, the Israeli government is pushing further into the city.

According to multiple reports, witnesses have spotted Israeli tanks in western and central Rafah. That’s far from the original point where the offensive began in eastern Rafah. The center of the city is where 1.4 million Palestinian refugees have been sheltering since Israel began targeting the city.

The reports come after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an airstrike on the city on May 26. Israel claimed it was attacking a Hamas compound. The strike caused gas tanks to ignite, which spread to a refugee encampment. The camp went up in flames, and at least 45 people, mostly women, children, and the elderly, were killed. Another 200 people suffered injuries.

The attack was the deadliest since the Israeli government started launching strikes on the city along the Egyptian border.

Israel has apologized for the deaths, saying it was an accident. That hasn’t stopped international outrage. Sam Rose, the director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees, said that Israel’s excuses are meaningless because they attacked a “tented camp,” and as they’ve been saying, there would “inevitably be civilian casualties.” He went on to say, “It really does leave us numb, and personally, it leaves me quite sick to the stomach.”

President Joe Biden has warned Israel against launching a ground invasion on Rafah for months. There are reports that the IDF used munitions that were made in America in the attack that destroyed the refugee camp. The Biden Administration said the massacre left the US “deeply concerned” and said it was not the kind of operation that the president has indicated would be acceptable.

European Union officials have also condemned the Israeli government for the attack. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to stop its Rafah offensive.