Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday admitted that Israel had committed a “tragic mistake” in an airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, that killed atleast 45 Palestinians. The Israeli strike had set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians, news agency AP reported citing local officials.
The Israeli strike, which took place after the attack by Hamas on Tel Aviv on Sunday, only added to the mounting international criticism Israel has been facing over its war with Hamas, with even the nation's closest allies expressing outrage at the death of the displaced civilians.
As Israel faces scrutiny in the top courts of the world, it still stresses that it adheres to international law. Recently, Israel was told to halt the offensive in Rafah.
Earlier, Israel’s military stated that it had carried out an airstrike on a Hamas compound with "precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence," killing two senior militants.
Following the strike that triggered a fire in the Hamas compound, the military said it had started a probe into the deaths of civilians.
'Last Night There Was A Tragic Mistake': Netanyahu On Israeli Strikes In Rafah
“Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mistake,” Netanyahu said on Monday while addressing Israel’s parliament. “We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy,” he added.
However, as per a BBC report, he insisted the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) used their "best efforts not to harm those uninvolved" in the conflict, vowing to keep fighting against Hamas.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, this strike, which appeared to be one of the war’s deadliest, pushed the overall Palestinian death toll in the war above 36,000, the AP report said. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and non combatants in its tally.
Mohammed Abuassa rushed to the incident spot in the northwestern neighborhood of Tel al-Sultan in Rafah stated rescuers "pulled out the people who were in an unbearable state."
"We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal," AP quoted him as saying.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service, the recent Israeli strike killed least 45 people, including 12 women, eight children, and three older adults. Three other bodies were found burned beyond recognition.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s military stated one of its soldiers was killed during an exchange of fire in Rafah. Following this, Israel said it was in contact with the Egyptian authorities as both sides said they were involved in an investigation.
Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city on the border with Egypt, has been designated as an area for the displaced who fled Gaza's northern part after Isarel's counterattack against Hamas begun last year in October.
Hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid tent camps in and around the city.
Netanyahu says Israel must destroy what he calls Hamas’ last remaining battalions in Rafah. The militant group launched a barrage of rockets Sunday from the city toward heavily populated central Israel, setting off air raid sirens but causing no injuries.