Initial information suggests that the fire that broke in Rafah following the airstrike targeting two Hamas senior members on Sunday most likely occurred as a result of shrapnel hitting and igniting a fuel tank in the vicinity of the attack, ABC News reported on Monday, citing a US official.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari spoke to foreign press on Tuesday, suggesting that a Hamas military base, located close to the strike site, was the most likely cause of the fire.
He also emphasized that the IDF's air force attack was 1.7 km away from the humanitarian zone.
The IDF also released an audio in which two Palestinians can be heard in conversation after the attack. "It's an ammunition depot," said one of the speakers, who then added: "The bombing by the Jews was not strong, it was a small missile - because it didn't create a big hole."
According to IDF officials, the fire most likely broke when shrapnel – or a similar object – hit a fuel tank, which in turn ignited and lit a nearby tent. At the moment, the US has no information to confirm or disprove the claim and is waiting for the results of the IDF’s investigation.The official went on to affirm that the IDF was not conducting a major ground operation, as per the directions of the United States.
Some 45 people were killed in the strike, according to Reuters. More than half of the dead were women, children, and elderly people, officials from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claimed, adding that the death toll was likely to rise from people with severe burns.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike had not been intended to cause civilian casualties.“In Rafah, we already evacuated about 1 million noncombatant residents, and despite our utmost effort not to harm noncombatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong,” he said in a speech in Knesset that was interrupted by shouting from opposition lawmakers.
Why did Israel conduct an airstrike in Rafah?
The airstrike in Rafah targeted and successfully eliminated the head of Hamas’s West Bank division Yassin Rabia, along with Khalid Nagaar, a senior member of the West Bank division.The IDF confirmed “The attack targeted terrorists who are legitimate targets under international law, using precise munitions, and was based on prior intelligence indicating the use of the area by Hamas terrorists.”The West Bank division of the Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for planning, financing, and supporting the perpetration of terrorist attacks in the West Bank and within Israel.Rabia oversaw all military operations of the West Bank division of the Hamas terrorist organization, was involved in transferring funds for terrorist purposes, and directed Hamas operatives to carry out attacks in the West Bank. In the past, Yassin has executed a number of murderous attacks, including attacks in 2001 and 2002 that resulted in the deaths of IDF soldiers.
Nagaar, a senior member of the West Bank division of the Hamas terrorist organization, orchestrated shooting attacks and other acts of terror in Judea and Samaria and facilitated the transfer of funds earmarked for terrorism for the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. In the past, Khalid has carried out several murderous attacks, including attacks between 2001 and 2003 in which Israeli civilians were killed, and additional IDF soldiers were killed and injured.
The International Court of Justice's ruling on Rafah
Hamas released a statement claiming Israel’s attack on Rafah is “the announcement of Netanyahu’s government’s defiance of international justice decisions,” but the statement failed to address why Hamas had built terrorist infrastructure in the densely packed Rafah region.“The massacre committed in the areas where it’s considered safe area,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan said. “The timing of these murders during the last two days is like the announcement of Netanyahu’s government’s defiance of international justice decisions.”The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt any military operation in Rafah that destroys the Palestinian people in “whole or in part,” the Jerusalem Post reported after the ruling last week.
However, despite claims by the Hamas terrorist group, this does not prevent Israel from taking any action against terrorists sheltering in Rafah among civilians.