No Zone is Safe
The White House appeared to justify the Israeli strike on displaced Palestinians in Rafah that hit a tent camp and killed at least 45 people, including many women and children.
In a statement on the massacre, a White House National Security spokesperson called it “heartbreaking” but also said Israel had the “right” to go after Hamas and backed Israeli claims that the strike also killed two Hamas fighters.
Mary ManleyThe attack on what the IDF had designated as a “safe zone” came shortly after a barrage of Hamas rockets reached central Israel on Sunday; the group’s first long-range strikes in months. No deaths or injuries were reported following the strike. On Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed 45 people and as a result, has left the world shocked as more than half of those killed included women, children, and the elderly. Global condemnation followed the strike, with the most condemnatory of those coming from the Arab League nations and the Global South in general, Sputnik reported.Others stressed that Israel had acted in defiance of the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), after the court ordered them to cease their military offensive in Rafah last week. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Türkiye lambasted Tel-Aviv, saying: “We will do everything to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable.”But while some Western countries spoke out against Israel’s atrocities, the US appeared to keep mum on their ally’s assault.
"Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," a US National Security Council spokesperson said. "But as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians."
WorldICJ Orders Israel to Halt Military Offensive in Rafah26 May, 05:35 GMTAccording to witnesses, at least eight airstrikes struck the camp of displaced victims about 600 feet from a UN warehouse. A Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had previously identified the camp as a “humanitarian area.” The IDF confirmed the strike as well, claiming that “significant Hamas terrorists were operating” there and said the strike’s “precise intelligence” had eliminated Hamas’ chief of staff for the West Bank.Survivors said that they families were preparing to sleep when the strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, according to a Reuters report. A Palestinian mother described the strike as a “loud noise” followed by a fire that erupted around them.Palestinian authorities have reported that over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict first broke out in October. A majority of those who have been killed are believed to be women and children. Cindy McCain, the head of the United Nations World Food Program has also warned that Gaza has now entered a “full-blown famine”. And yet, the Biden administration has said that they do not believe Israel is committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
WorldDozens Killed in Israeli Strike on Rafah Refugee Camp – Report27 May, 01:55 GMT
