Live Updates
Middle East Eye, May 27 2024
Evening update
On Monday, international condemnation began to pour in response to Israeli strikes on Sunday that killed at least 45 Palestinians in a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city. The strikes left the area on fire, ripped off the limbs of several people and left a baby’s head severed from its body. The graphic footage sparked enormous outrage after an already eight-month long assault on the Palestinian population of Gaza. Borrell, Macron, Starmer, Erdogan and other world leaders condemned the strikes. Meanwhile, legal experts said the attack is a breach of international law, specifically after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive on Rafah. At the Rafah crossing with Egypt, an Egyptian soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces. Cairo said it was investigating the incident. In other news:
- Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Monday they targeted three ships in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and also targeted two US destroyers in the Red Sea.
- US CENTCOM announced later on Monday that it destroyed an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launched from an area controlled by the Houthis.
- A White House NSC spox commented on the Israeli strike on displaced Palestinians that killed 45 people, saying that while Israel should “take every precaution” to protect civilians, Israel “has a right to go after Hamas.”
- Netanyahu said that Sunday’s air strike on Rafah that killed 45 Palestinians was not intended to cause civilian casualties and would be investigated.
- Israeli forces killed two workers at the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah. Later on in the day, the director of the hospital announced that the medical facility was deemed non-operational.
Kuwait Hospital in Rafah shuts down
The Kuwait Hospital in Rafah has been shut down and deemed non-operational, the director said, after Israeli strikes on Monday killed two of its staff members. Suhaib al-Hams said in a statement:
Due to the enemy’s expansion of the military operation in Rafah Governorate and the repeated and deliberate attacks on the hospital’s surroundings, the most recent of which was targeting the hospital gate, which led to the death of two staff working in the hospital, as well as the injury of 5 medical staff in a previous targeting, we announce that the Kuwait Specialized Hospital will be out of service.
Algeria requests UNSC meeting on Rafah massacre
Algeria requested that the UNSC meet to discuss the Israeli strikes on a displacement camp in Rafah that killed at least 45 people. The meeting will be a closed consultation, meaning that no resolutions can be voted on.
US CENTCOM says it shot drone down over Red Sea
US CENTCOM released a statement saying it had destroyed an uncrewed aerial system launched from an area controlled by Yemen’s Houthi movement. The announcement comes after the Houthis announced earlier on Monday the targeting of three ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, as well as the targeting of two US destroyers in the Red Sea.
Aid trucks arrive in Gaza, but no deliveries: Reuters
More than 100 aid trucks reached Gaza on Monday morning, but the assistance has not been distributed amid an ongoing Israeli assault, Reuters reported, citing several unnamed sources. The sources said the aid was sent after an agreement was made to reroute aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Egyptian security sources told Reuters that 123 aid trucks had crossed and handed over the goods to the UN. An Israeli source confirmed that aid had been brought into the Gaza side and handed over to partners.
Netanyahu says deadly strike on Rafah is being investigated
Netanyahu said that Sunday’s air strike on Rafah that killed 45 Palestinians was not intended to cause civilian casualties and would be investigated. Netanyahu told the Knesset:
Something unfortunately went tragically wrong. We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions because this is our policy.
US says ‘Israel has a right to go after Hamas’ after Rafah massacre
An NSC spox commented on the Israeli strike on displaced Palestinians that killed 45 people, said that Israel should “take every precaution” to protect civilians, but added:
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. We are actively engaging the IOF and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that the IOF is conducting an investigation.
The spokesperson referred to the footage that came out of the strike, which included a baby whose head was severed from its body, as “devastating.”
Houthis claim attacks on three ships, two US destroyers
Yemen’s Houthi movement said they launched a series of new attacks, targeting three ships in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, as well as targeting two US destroyers in the Red Sea. The Houthis have described their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and nearby areas as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. The US has responded to these attacks by targeting Houthi positions in Yemen.
Israel kills two staff members of Rafah’s only operational hospital
https://twitter.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1795091332014170500
Israeli forces launched another strike on Rafah, this time killing two workers from the Kuwait Hospital, which is currently the only operational hospital in the southern city in the Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Anas al-Sharif reported the deaths on the scene on Monday.
Survivors recount the Rafah camp massacre
Layan al-Fayoum, a young teenager survivor of the Israeli attack on Rafah that took place on Sunday night, killing dozens of displaced Palestinians residing in tents, told Middle East Eye she went out of her tent to see what happened and was shocked by the large inferno that had engulfed the site. She said:
We were sitting down in peace when we suddenly heard the explosion. It was so sudden. The bombs came down without a warning. The flames were huge. We saw tents on fire and then had to recover dismembered limbs and dead children.
Read more: Headless child, charred bodies: Survivors recount Israel’s Rafah camp massacre.
Egypt confirms killing of soldier in fire exchange with Israeli forces near Rafah crossing
Egypt has confirmed the killing of one of its soldiers in a fire exchange with Israeli soldiers near the Rafah crossing. In a tweet, the Egyptian military spokesperson said Egypt is currently investigating the incident. Earlier, the Israeli military has confirmed there was a shooting incident on the Egyptian border, and that “dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side.”
Hamas not to participate in hostage negotiations after Rafah attack, Haaretz reports
Hamas leaders will not take part in hostage negotations after the Israeli attack on a civilan camp in Rafah, Haaretz reported, quoting Hamas sources. Hamas has notified mediating countries of its decision. Earlier, Israel announced that talks for a hostage deal will be held this week, but no details were further mentioned.
‘Heinous massacre’ in Rafah proves Israel is targeting civilians: Palestinian foreign ministry
The Palestinian foreign ministry has labelled the Israeli attack on a civilans’ camp on Rafah a “heinous massacre,” calling on all countries supporting Israel to “awaken conscience, morals and law” against the genocidal war Palestinians are being exposed to. It said:
The ministry considers this crime as new evidence proving that Israel’s declared war is against Palestinian civilians, and refutes the occupation’s claims of the existence of safe zones in the Gaza Strip.
‘Fire broke out” caused civilians’ death in Rafah: Israeli spox says
Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman says initial reports of an investigation into the Israeli attack on a camp in Rafah shows that “somehow a fire broke” which caused the death of 45 Palestinian civilians. In an interview with the BBC, which Hyman posted on Twitter, he said:
The IDF was targeting two Hamas commanders in Rafah with tons of Israeli and British blood on their hands. The IOF is investigating every accident of this nature to see what exactly happened.
When asked whether Israel has designated the bombed area as “safe area” for civilians to go to in Rafah, Hyman said:
That is unclear.
In what is being described as a massacre in Rafah on Sunday night, the Health Ministry in Gaza says 45 people have been killed in the Israeli attack of displaced Palestinians, including 23 women, children and elderly, with 249 wounded.
Egyptian soldier ‘killed’ by Israeli forces near Rafah crossing
An Egyptian soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces at the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Israeli media. Israeli public broadcasting said no Israeli soldiers were hurt in the incident which left one Egyptian killed and others wounded. There was no immediate comment from the Egyptian authorities. The Israeli military said:
A few hours ago there was a shooting incident on the Egyptian border, it] is under investigation, dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side.
Read more: War on Gaza: Egyptian soldier ‘killed’ by Israeli forces near Rafah crossing.
‘Those scenes, those reports are horrifying’: UK’s Starmer
Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer described the scenes and reports coming from Gaza’s southern Rafah as “horrifying,” saying he was “shocked” by what he saw following the Israeli attacks on civilian camps on Sunday night. Starmer, who is gearing up for the Jul 4 British general election, told reporters that he will push to bring the Israeli military operations in Rafah to a halt if he becomes the UK’s prime minister. When asked about what would he tell Netanyahu if he is elected, Starmer answered:
Stop. What makes it worse is that this was a safe zone, with women and children in it, families that had already fled a number of times.
UAE condemns Israeli attacks on Rafah
The UAE has strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing violations in Gaza, including the latest bombing of a camp in southern Rafah on Sunday night. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE stressed the need for an immediate ceasfire, noting the importance of committing to the measures recently issued by the International Court of Justice in this regard. Earlier, several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan, have issued statements criticising what was described as a “massacre” that took place in Rafah.
Erdogan vows to hold ‘barbaric’ Netanyahu accountable over Rafah massacre
Erdogan said that his country will do “everything possible” to hold “barbaric” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to account over what has been called a massacre in Rafah. Following an Israeli strike on Sunday that killed at least 45 Palestinians most of them women, children and the elderly, in an area for people forecefully displaced by Israel, Erdogan said:
We will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable who have nothing to do with humanity.
Israelis celebrate Rafah massacre as Jewish holiday bonfire
Soon after an Israeli air strike slammed into a camp in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Sunday night, tearing through the bodies of dozens of Palestinian men, women and children and igniting a ferocious blaze, video footage of the aftermath drew horror and condemnation worldwide. In Israel, however, prominent figures and members of the public celebrated the massacre and the fire as the perfect way to celebrate a religious holiday. Sunday was Lag BaOmer, a Jewish holiday where people across Israel light bonfires as a representation of spiritual light brought by Shimon bar Yochai, a revered second-century rabbi. Read more: Israelis celebrate Rafah massacre as Jewish holiday bonfire.
‘Genocide must end’ says Jewish Voice for Peace
Attention must now be directed towards the overnight “massacre” committed in Rafah by the Israeli military said the US-based Jewish advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace. Jewish Voice for Peace said in a statement posted on Twitter:
We will never forget the images emerging from Rafah tonight. Human beings, including babies, were burned alive and torn apart. This genocide must end, it must end now. We hold the US government, in addition to the Israeli government, responsible for the slaughter of over 36k Palestinians, for the siege and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, and for mass destruction of infrastructure and land. We demand an end to all US funding to the Israeli military now. People of conscience throughout the world are calling for an end to genocide.
Gaza death toll surpasses 36k
In update to what is being described as a massacre, the Health Ministry in Gaza says 45 people have been killed in the Israeli attack of displaced Palestinians in Rafah, including 23 women, children and elderly, with 249 wounded. The ministry added that at least 36,050 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war and 81,026 have been wounded.
‘These operations must stop’: France’s Macron condemns Rafah attack
Macron tweeted:
Outraged by the Israeli strikes that have killed many displaced persons in Rafah. These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. There needs to be an immediate ceasefire.
Palestinians mourn their dead following Israeli massacre
Survivors of Rafah attack recount Israeli ‘massacre’
Witnesses speaking to Al-Jazeera recounted the “massacre” in the camp in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan area over the weekend by Israeli forces. Majed al-Attar, a displaced person from Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, said he lost five members of his family. He said:
We were sitting in tents, and suddenly the camp was bombed. I lost five people from my family, all of whom were completely burned, among the people who killed pregnant women. Every time they told us that this area was safe until we were bombed.
‘It’s extremely painful to witness the killing of children’
Israeli attacks on Rafah ‘horrifying’:UNRWA
UNRWA said on Monday that reports of attacks on families seeking shelter in Rafah in the southern tip of the Gaza Strip were “horrifying.”
Violence against civilians in Gaza ‘no longer justifiable’: Italy
Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza were no longer justifiable, Italy said on Monday in one of the strongest rebukes Rome has delivered to Israel, Reuters reported. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told SkyTG24 TV:
There is an increasingly difficult situation, in which the Palestinian people are being squeezed without regard for the rights of innocent men, women and children who have nothing to do with Hamas and this can no longer be justified. We are watching the situation with despair.
Israel restricts Spanish embassy’s services in occupied West Bank
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced in a diplomatic note to the Spanish embassy in Israel that it will ban their activities in the occupied West Bank. The note states that the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem is prohibited “from conducting consular activities or providing consular services to residents of the Palestinian Authority,” said Katz in a tweet. The statement follows Spain’s decision last week, alongside Norway and Ireland, to recognise the Palestinian state.
Israel’s bombing of a tent camp in Rafah a ‘monstrous failure of humanity’: Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn has labelled Israel’s bombing of a tent camp in Rafah a “monstrous failure of humanity” in a tweet. He wrote:
Palestinian children should wake up feeling excited to go to school and play with their friends.
EU member states must ensure Israel respects World Court rulings on Gaza: Spain
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will ask the other 26 European Union member states to issue official backing to the International Court of Justice and take steps to ensure Israel respects its decisions. Following a Ministerial meeting hosted by Norway and Saudi Arabia in Brussels over the weekend, he told reporters in Brussels news conference:
I am going to ask the other 26 partners to declare the backing of the International Court of Justice and its decision, and also, if Israel continues to pursue against that opinion of the Court, we would try to take the right measures to enforce that decision.
Following the press conference, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the World Court ruling is “binding” and that it must be respected.
‘Israel must face sanctions’: UN expert on Palestine
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territory, described Israel’s attack on the tent camp in Rafah as “more horror.” She said in a tweet:
This cruelty, along with blatant defiance of the int’l law and system, is unacceptable. The #GazaGenocide will not easily end without external pressure: Israel must face sanctions, justice, suspension of agreements, trade, partnership and investments, as well as participation in int’l forums.
‘Israel cannot exist without the existence of a Palestinian State’: Saudi foreign minister
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, speaking at a Ministerial meeting hosted by Norway and Saudi Arabia in Brussels over the weekend warned Israel:
It is absolutely necessary that Israel must accept that it cannot exist without the existence of a Palestinian state. Israel doesn’t get to decide whether or not the Palestinians have a right to self-determination. This is something that is enshrined in the UN’s charter and in international law.
Ministerial meeting saw representatives of more than 20 countries discuss a political solution to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Israel continues military action it was asked to stop by ICJ: EU’s top diplomat
EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that last week’s World Court ruling on Gaza must be applied and the EU countries will discuss how to take action to implement the ruling, Reuters reported.
Netanyahu ‘must immediately halt’ Rafah offensive: US Congressman
Following Israel’s latest attack on Rafah, US Congressman Ro Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California, has called on the Israeli prime minister to end the assault on the besiged southern Gaza city. Khanna said in a tweet:
Netanyahu must immediately halt the military offensive into Rafah. The horrific loss of innocent lives today with the bombing of a refugee camp underscores the moral urgency of stopping the Rafah campaign.
Israel committed a ‘monstrous atrocity’ in Rafah: UN expert
The UN special rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called for action against Israel following its latest attack on displaced Palestinians in Rafah. He said in a tweet:
Attacking women and children while they cower in their shelters in Rafah is a monstrous atrocity. We need concerted global action to stop Israel’s actions now.
Palestinian teen shot by Israel dies of wounds
A 14-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Sunday has died of critical wounds, according to WAFA. Majd Shaher Arameen was shot near the town of Sa’ir, northeast of Hebron, WAFA reported.
MSF ‘horrified’ by Israel’s attack on displaced Palestinians
MSF says it is “horrified” by Israeli’s attack on the camp for displaced Palestinians in Tal as-Sultan and that the “deadly event” shows once again that nowhere is safe in Gaza. More than 15 dead bodies and dozens of wounded people were brought to a trauma stabilisation point that it supports in Gaza, said the medical charity. MSF reiterated its call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
Death toll from Rafah attack rises to 40: Report
The death toll from Israel’s attack on the tent camp at Tal as-Sultan has risen to 40, the Palestinian Wafa news agency said citing local sources. Most of the victims were women and children, it noted. The Palestine Red Crescent Society was quoted as saying that many of the people inside the tents were “burned alive.” The PRCS also told the agency that hospitals in the area “are incapable of handling this large number of victims as a result of the occupation’s deliberate destruction of the health system in Gaza.”
Morning recap
It’s day 234 of Israel’s war on Gaza. This is a recap of the last few hours to get you up to speed this morning:
- The Palestinian health ministry said that 35,984 Palestinians had been killed and 80,643 injured in Israeli strikes since Oct 7 in Gaza
- Sunday saw another evening of intense Israeli bombardment in Gaza, with at least 40 Palestinians killed and dozens of others wounded after a number of Israeli air strikes hit a camp for displaced people in Rafah. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the attack in Rafah as a “massacre”
- The Government Media Office in Gaza said Israel used a 2k lb bomb in the attack and that it marked the 10th Israeli assault on a displacement centre affiliated with the UN in the past 24 hours
- Hamas condemned Israel’s “heinous massacre,” saying the raids were in “complete defiance and disregard” of the International Court of Justice’s order on Israel to halt the military operation in Gaza
- Amnesty calls for war crimes probe into three Israeli attacks on Gaza.
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