Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned an Israeli strike on Rafah that killed at least 45 people over the weekend as “an indefensible atrocity,” as condemnation of Israel’s military campaign in the southern Gaza city grew.
The Israeli strike on Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan area targeted a humanitarian zone with tents where Israel’s military had earlier directed displaced Palestinians to seek refuge from the ongoing conflict with militant group Hamas, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli military claimed that the strike killed two key Hamas leaders.
Related posts
“The IDF’s attack on a tent camp of innocents in Rafah is an indefensible atrocity,” Ocasio-Cortez said Monday on the social media platform X. “The IDF openly defied President Biden’s red line and the ICJ’s call for a ceasefire.”
Biden should “live up to his word” and halt military aid supplies to Israel, she said, following a warning earlier this month in an effort to stop Israeli attacks on Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strike as a “tragic mistake” and asked for a probe into the civilian casualties on Monday.
“Despite our best efforts to avoid harming innocent civilians, there was a tragic mistake last night,” Netanyahu told Israel’s Knesset on Monday. “We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy.”
Only days have passed since the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop operations in Rafah, the last significant settlement in Gaza that the Israeli military has not yet invaded.
As criticism of Israel’s military action in Rafah grows, the incident received widespread condemnation. A representative for the White House National Security Council told Axios on Monday that the attack was “heartbreaking.”
“Israel has the right to target Hamas.” However, as we have already stated, Israel must take every measure to safeguard civilians,” the official said. “We are actively enlisting the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened.”
French President Emmanuel Macron used the strike to reiterate his call for a cease-fire in the conflict.
“These operations must halt. “There are no safe zones in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,” Macron wrote in a post on X. “I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.”
Despite repeated warnings from the Biden administration, the Israeli force has gradually encroached on Rafah.
Rafah is home to more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, with over 80% of the territory’s population forced from their homes. According to the United Nations, starvation has broken out in sections of the region as citizens struggle to get humanitarian aid.
