Israeli military says it killed two senior Hamas officials in attacks in Rafah that left at least 35 people dead

At least 35 Palestinians were killed Sunday in an Israeli attack on a tent camp, Gaza health officials said, which the Israeli military claims targeted two senior Hamas officials.

The attack targeted a humanitarian zone in Rafah, where the Israeli military previously instructed displaced Palestinians to take cover from attacks, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The ministry said most of the 35 dead were women and children, and that the death toll was likely to rise as “countless” were trapped in the rubble.

The attack comes just days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt its operations in Rafah, the last remaining major settlement in Gaza that has not been invaded by the Israeli military.

The Israeli military slowly invaded the city despite strong warnings from the Biden administration. President Biden warned earlier this month that he would halt military aid shipments to the country if it invaded Rafah without a plan approved by U.S. leaders to limit civilian casualties.

More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are believed to be sheltering in Rafah and more than 80 percent of the territory’s total population is displaced from their homes. The United Nations said famine has broken out in parts of Gaza as civilians struggle to access humanitarian aid.

More than 120 aid trucks entered Rafah on Sunday from Egypt, the first since the Israeli military seized the crossing earlier this month. It was not immediately clear whether local aid groups would be able to access the humanitarian supplies, however, The Associated Press reportedas fighting in the area has hampered humanitarian work.

Much of southern Gaza, including Rafah, has been largely cut off from humanitarian aid since the Israeli military began what it described as a limited operation in Rafah earlier this month. A U.S.-built floating dock has begun delivering some aid to the area, although aid groups say it is far less than promised and there are not enough trucks to adequately distribute the supplies.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story