US defends Israel’s missile attack on southern Gaza’s Rafah.
White House spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that Israel did not launch a full-scale attack. He said this hours after Israeli forces reached the center of Rafah city.
About 45 Palestinian civilians burned to death in an Israeli attack on a refugee camp, John Kirby said the fire was caused by weapons stockpiled nearby by Hamas.
Earlier, Israeli forces captured important banks, government and business establishments in Al-Awda area, the heart of Rafah.
Locals say that the Israeli soldiers are shooting when they see someone moving in the city of Al-Awda.
The attack sparked international condemnation. The Palestinians and many Arab countries called the attack a ‘genocide’. Israel said it was investigating the ‘tragic accident’.
Thousands of displaced Palestinians took shelter in a tent in the southern city of Rafah. But when the Israeli army launched a missile attack there on Sunday, some tents caught fire. 45 people were killed.
Various countries of the world have criticized and condemned this attack by Israel.
Israel’s military says it killed two senior Hamas operatives in a raid in the southern Rafah neighborhood on Sunday evening.
“There is no safe place in Gaza,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message posted on social media. This horror must stop.
Egypt says the attacks targeting defenseless civilians are aimed at making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable by spreading death and destruction.
Jordan has described Israel as a war criminal. Saudi Arabia continues to strongly condemn the killings.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to bring the killers to justice.
Qatar described it as a dangerous violation of international law.
Meanwhile, Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized the Palestinian state on Tuesday. So far, more than 140 member states of the United Nations have taken this step.