Israeli airstrikes on Saturday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed several civilians, including women and children, Palestinian state media reported, bringing more fear to the region where more than a million displaced Palestinians are huddled. In tents and temporary shelters.
Palestinians have been bracing for weeks for an Israeli ground offensive against Rafah in Gaza’s southernmost tip, where more than half of the area’s 2.2 million residents have survived more than six months of Israeli bombing and ground incursions.
Air strikes hit two homes, killing 10 residents, and missiles and artillery struck other areas in and around Rafah, the Wafa news agency reported.
The Israeli military would not immediately comment on the attack. It said the goal of the offensive in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas, the armed group that has controlled the Strip for nearly two decades.
“It was like an earthquake,” Mohammad al-Masri, a 31-year-old accountant who was holed up with his family in a tent in a large camp in Rafah, said of the shock caused by the attack.
He said the first attack, which shook the earth and lit up the night sky, occurred just after midnight, and the second occurred soon after. “When we hear about these strikes, we don’t know what to do,” he said. “Everyone is saying the same thing, ‘Where can we go?'”
President Biden and other world leaders have urged Israel not to invade Rafah because it would worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored those calls and claimed a ground offensive was necessary to “completely eliminate Hamas’ battalions” and destroy its tunnel network.
Saturday’s attack stoked fears among Palestinians in Rafah that an invasion could be imminent.
in a briefing Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council this week that Israel’s military attack on Rafah would “exacerbate this humanitarian catastrophe”.
Rahaf Al-Madhoun, 17, said she was live-streaming on TikTok talking about Rafah’s living conditions when the first airstrike came very close. She paused to collect herself before continuing. She then described the horror caused by the attack and the constant drone of surveillance drones overhead.
“I swear, we were overwhelmed,” she said. “Fear itself is killing us.”
Rawan Sheikh Ahmed Contributed reporting.
