An Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza town of Rafah that killed dozens of displaced Palestinians drew widespread international condemnation on Monday, with world leaders calling for an investigation into the attack and stepping up pressure on Israel to end its military campaign in the south.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he was “outraged” by the explosion and called for “full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.”
“These operations must stop,” he said, referring to Sunday’s strike. “There is unsafe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians.
The strike came just two days after the International Court of Justice appeared to order Israel to immediately end its offensive in the city. An Israeli military legal official said the strike was under review.
Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, said: “What is shocking is that by striking such an area, densely populated by civilians, the result was entirely predictable. »
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said at a press conference On Monday, he planned to ask other foreign ministers of European Union member states to support the World Court’s rulings against Israel and to take action if Israel continued its operations in Rafah.
António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, condemned Israel’s actions in an article on X.
“There is no safe place in Gaza” Mr. Guterres wrote. “This horror must stop.” Tor Wennesland, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, condemned the airstrikes and said he was “deeply troubled by the deaths of so many women and children in an area where people have sought refuge.”
German public broadcaster reported that the country’s vice chancellor, Robert Habeck, declared on Saturday that the Israeli offensive in Rafah was “incompatible with international law”. Senior German officials had previously warned Israel against an attack on Rafah, but Mr. Habeck’s comments appear to represent a hardening of that tone in a country with a long-standing policy of support for Israel.
“Israel must not carry out this attack, at least not as it did before in the Gaza Strip, bombing refugee camps, etc. said Mr. Habeck.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas compound and used “precise munitions” to kill two senior Hamas leaders. But at least 45 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the attack and subsequent fires, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
In a statement, a White House National Security Council spokesperson acknowledged that the assault had killed two senior leaders responsible for the October 7 attacks on Israel and said Israel “has the right to take from Hamas.”
“But as we have made clear, Israel must take every possible precaution to protect civilians,” council spokesman Eduardo Maia Silva said, before referring to the Israel Defense Forces, adding: “We engage actively the Israeli army and its partners. on the ground to assess what happened and understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation.
The assault drew criticism from humanitarian groups, such as the International Rescue Committee, which issued a statement saying it was “horrified” and calling the affected area a “designated safe zone.” Israeli officials insist the strike took place outside the area they had designated as a safe zone for civilians. The IRC also called for an end to the Israeli assault, a complete ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations emergency relief coordinator, denounced the Israeli strike on social media and, appearing to refer to Israeli military activity in southern Gaza, lamented the difficulty of humanitarian agencies in delivering supplies. goods on the necessary scale.
“Such impunity cannot continue,” Mr Griffiths said.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the main United Nations aid agency for the Palestinians, described the images from Rafah as a “testimony to how Rafah has become hell on earth.”
The agency has had difficulty contacting its teams on the ground in Rafah, he said, and some of its staff are missing.
“UNRWA is doing everything possible not to interrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid. But with each passing day, providing assistance and protection becomes almost impossible,” said Mr. Lazzarini. written on.
Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, said continued attacks in Rafah pose “a catastrophic risk for the children sheltered there”, adding that many of them have already suffered extreme loss and hardship.
“They must be protected, along with the few remaining basic services and infrastructure they need to survive,” Ms. Russell wrote.
