Israeli airstrike kills dozens after hitting tent camp for displaced, Gaza officials say
Dozens of people were killed in Rafah late Sunday after an Israeli airstrike hit an area where displaced civilians were sheltering in tents and sparked a fire that tore across the camp, local officials said.
Images showed the area engulfed in flames as screaming Palestinians fled for safety, with some video shared on social media showing disturbing images including severely burned corpses and a man holding what appears to be the headless body of a small child.
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The strike drew condemnation from world leaders just days after the United Nations' top court ordered Israel to halt its offensive on the southern Gaza city where more than a million had sought refuge. Qatar warned it could hinder efforts to reach a cease-fire deal, while Israel's own military prosecutor said the "very difficult" incident was under investigation.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted two senior Hamas leaders but would review reports of fire spreading to areas where civilians were sheltering.
The Gaza health ministry reported that at least 35 people had been killed in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, the majority of them women and children. First responders had warned the number of casualties could rise as many were trapped in flames that erupted following the bombardment.
And on Monday, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Rafah said the death toll had risen to at least 40 people.
"This massacre is the largest in the city of Rafah in months," spokesman Muhammad Al-Mughir told NBC News. He stressed that the area hit was a designated "humanitarian area" next to U.N. warehouses.
Samuel Johann, the emergency coordinator in Gaza for Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctor Without Borders, said Sunday's strike hit just under a mile from an MSF stabilization point for trauma patients. He said the facility received dozens of people, with at least 28 already dead and 180 arriving injured.
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"Suddenly, windows shattered," Hala Siam told NBC News’ crew on the ground. "The children got scared. We all went out to the street."



