In the midst of worldwide outrage of an airstrike that killed several Palestinians in Rafah on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to carry on the battle against Hamas.
The health ministry administered by Hamas reports that at least 45 people were murdered, while hundreds more received treatment for shrapnel wounds, fractures, and serious burns.
Mr. Netanyahu described the attack as a "tragic mishap" when addressing the Israeli parliament, but he also said, "I don't intend to end the war before every goal has been achieved."
He emphasized that Israel was doing its "best efforts not to harm those uninvolved" in the war and added that Israel has to take "every precaution possible" to safeguard civilians.
Occasionally, family members of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 incident heckled the prime minister, accusing him of not brokering a settlement that would have allowed their loved ones to return. "In Rafah we already relocated about one million non-combatant residents as well as despite our utmost effort not to harm people who were not fighting something unfortunately went tragically wrong," Netanyahu said. "We are investigating the incident as well as will reach conclusions because this is our policy."
Organizations from across the world have denounced the strike, and the EU is pressing Israel to abide by an International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision from last week ordering an end to strikes on Rafah. Josep Borrell, the chief ambassador for the group, described Sunday's attack as "horrifying". Israel has vowed to carry out the assault of Rafah in spite of the ICJ verdict, with authorities stating that the ruling allowed the attack to conform with international law.
According to Volker Turk, the UN's senior human rights officer, the strike indicated that there had been "no apparent change in the techniques and techniques of warfare used by Israel that have already led the so many civilian deaths".
Hours after Hamas launched its first rocket strike on Tel Aviv in recent months, Israel started the Rafah attack on Sunday. Two top Hamas officers were killed in the raid on Rafah, according to IDF sources, and the organization was looking into the killings of local people. However, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that the airstrike had struck displaced people's tents close to a UN building in Tal al-Sultan, which is around 2 km (1.2 miles) northwest of Rafah's center.
Videos captured the scene on Sunday night in the Tal al-Sultan area, when there was a big explosion and strong flames. In graphic video, first responders and onlookers were seen dragging many dead as a number of buildings were set on fire next to a flag that said "Kuwaiti Peace Camp '1'."
Following the strike, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Monday that at least 28 deceased persons, including women and children, had been admitted to one of its hospitals. It claimed to have treated 180 more injured Palestinians, the majority of whom suffered burns, fractures, traumatic injuries, and significant shrapnel wounds. The "attack on a populated camp in a so-called'safe zone' in Rafah shows a complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza," according to MSF, which contradicted Israeli allegations that the hit had been accurate.
The US argued that Israel has the right to self-defense while calling the photos "heartbreaking".
A White House national security official said, "We understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists whose have been responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians. Israel has a right to go after Hamas."
However, they did acknowledge that "Israel needs to take all necessary precautions to protect civilians."
Much of Monday was devoted to Israeli authorities frantically trying to figure out what went wrong in Rafah. How could a firestorm that left many dead and wounded come from a "precision strike" with specialized weapons with "reduced warheads"?
Israel is aware that the whole world is watching it in the wake of the International Court of Justice's decision last week to compel Israel to cease any actions in the Rafah region that would cause more damage to the Palestinian people. There is a lot of demand on it to justify its actions.
It claims that the operation was intelligence-driven, and it seems that both Hamas leaders were slain.
However, there are a lot of unanswered issues about the planning and execution of this event given the large number of bystanders there and what seems to be a substantial amount of combustible material.
Leading military figures, such as IDF advocate general Maj Gen Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, have pledged to conduct a comprehensive inquiry, so we can anticipate hearing more in-depth information shortly.
It's another story entirely if this is a turning point in the campaign.
There is little indication that Sunday's catastrophe would make Mr. Netanyahu reconsider his commitment to what he terms a "total victory" in Rafah.
Israeli ground troops continue to proceed carefully as they approach the city of Rafah proper, in spite of the horrifying events from yesterday night.
Thus far, their activities have not turned into a carnage.
However, that is precisely what happened with yesterday night's airstrike, further damaging Israel's already damaged reputation and weakening its justification for continuing.
After terrorists from Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing over 1,200 people and capturing 252 more as prisoners, Israel launched its military operation in Gaza.
Since then, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 36,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.
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