The UN reported that one million civilians have fled Rafah since May.
New Delhi:
The Rafah refugee camp in Gaza witnessed scenes of horror and devastation following an Israeli airstrike on Sunday. Tents were engulfed in flames and the screams of burn victims filled the air after the attack, which Gaza’s Health Ministry blamed on Israeli forces targeting displaced Palestinians seeking refuge in camps.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said the death toll rose to 45 from the nighttime attacks, which torched tents and sparked widespread condemnation around the world. The agency described the aftermath as a “massacre,” with many bodies charred beyond recognition and countless victims suffering serious injuries.
“We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs,” said Mohammad al-Mughayyir, an official at the civil defense agency, quoted by the AFP news agency. “We also saw cases of amputations, injured children, women and elderly people.”
Footage captured by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society showed chaotic scenes as paramedics worked tirelessly to evacuate the injured, including many children. The night was filled with the sounds of sirens and the anguished screams of survivors.
“We had just finished night prayers,” recalled one survivor. “Our children were sleeping when we heard a loud sound and suddenly there was fire all around us. The children were screaming… the sound was scary.”
The Israeli army claimed that its planes targeted a Hamas compound in Rafah, resulting in the deaths of two senior Hamas operatives, Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar. They acknowledged reports of civilian casualties due to the attack and subsequent fire, saying the incident was under investigation.
The airstrike provoked strong reactions from neighboring Arab nations. Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar condemned the attack, with Qatar warning that it could harm ongoing efforts to revive the truce and talks on the release of hostages in the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has been ongoing since October 7th.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) described the attack as “horrific” and shared on social media that images from the scene were “further testimony” to the terrible conditions in Gaza. Several videos showed fires ravaging the camp and people desperately pulling bodies from the rubble.
By morning, the charred remains of tents and vehicles were all that remained of the refugee camp in Rafah, known as Kuwait’s Al-Salam 1 Camp. An aid group, the Al-Salam Association for Humanitarian and Charitable Works, said that in addition to the dozens of dead and injured, more than 120 tents and several facilities were destroyed.
Bilal al-Sapti, a 30-year-old construction worker from Rafah, recounted the devastation he witnessed. “The fire was very strong and reached the entire camp,” he said. “There was darkness and there was no electricity.” Despite the destruction, his family miraculously survived.
“Many of the corpses were severely burned, had limbs amputated and were torn into pieces,” he said Dr. Marwan al-Hams, healthcare professional.
The UN reported that one million civilians have fled Rafah since Israel’s attack began in early May, despite numerous international warnings against escalating violence.
The conflict, the deadliest in Gaza’s history, began with a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,189 Israeli deaths and the taking of 252 hostages. Israel’s response has been relentless, with the Gaza Ministry of Health reporting more than 36,096 deaths, mostly civilians.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
