At least 45 people died and 249 were injured, according to the Palestinian authorities. Israel, for its part, claims to have targeted two senior Hamas officials while respecting international law

Tents reduced to ashes. Israel bombed a centre for displaced persons near Rafah, in the south of the enclave, on Sunday 26 May. The Ministry of Health of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip revised the death toll at midday on Monday, reporting at least 45 dead and 249 injured.

The Israeli army said it had struck a Hamas compound where ‘important terrorists’ were operating. Here are the details of this deadly strike.

At least 45 dead and the death toll likely to rise The strike took place at the Barkasat camp for displaced persons, run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). At midday on Monday, the Ministry of Health of the Hamas-led Gaza government announced a new death toll of at least 45, ‘including 23 women, children and elderly people’, as well as 249 injured. A journalist from Israeli public broadcaster Kan shared images of the burning camp on X.

Hamas denounced a ‘horrible massacre’, calling on ‘the masses of our people in the West Bank, Jerusalem, the occupied territories and abroad to rise up and march in anger’. The Presidency of the Palestinian Authority also condemned what it called an ‘atrocious massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces’, calling it ‘a defiance of all international resolutions’.

Israel claims to have targeted ‘a Hamas compound’ and acknowledges civilian casualties

The Israeli army said in a statement on X that one of its aircraft had ‘struck a Hamas compound in Rafah where important terrorists were operating’, including two Hamas leaders in the West Bank, Yacine Rabia and Khaled Nagar. It added that it was investigating reports of civilians killed in the fire.

According to the Israeli army, Yacine Rabia ‘supervised all Hamas terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria [Israel’s name for the West Bank], sent funds to terrorist targets and organised Hamas attacks throughout the region’. As for Khaled Nagar, ‘he transferred funds for Hamas terrorist activities in Gaza and carried out several terrorist attacks in which IDF soldiers were killed

‘The attack was carried out against targets legitimate under international law, with precise munitions and on the basis of accurate intelligence’, the Israeli army said.

The Israeli army said in a statement on X that one of its aircraft had ‘struck a Hamas compound in Rafah where important terrorists were operating’, including two Hamas officials in the West Bank, Yacine Rabia and Khaled Nagar. It added that it was investigating reports of civilians killed in the fire.

According to the Israeli army, Yacine Rabia ‘supervised all Hamas terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria [Israel’s name for the West Bank], sent funds to terrorist targets and organised Hamas attacks throughout the region’. As for Khaled Nagar, ‘he transferred funds for Hamas terrorist activities in Gaza and carried out several terrorist attacks in which IDF soldiers were killed’.

‘The attack was carried out against targets legitimate under international law, with precise munitions and on the basis of accurate intelligence’, the Israeli army said. It also said that it was ‘aware of reports that several civilians in the area were injured’ and that ‘the incident is being investigated’.

The strike came hours after eight rockets were fired at Tel Aviv from Rafah for the first time in several months, with the Israeli army claiming to have intercepted ‘a number’. The armed wing of Hamas said it had fired ‘a large barrage of rockets in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians’. The Israeli army did not specify whether its strike was linked to this salvo of rockets.

Many Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah Since 7 May, the Israeli army has been conducting military operations in Rafah, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip where many internally displaced people have taken refuge. According to the UN, 800,000 people have left the centre of Rafah in almost three weeks following an evacuation order issued by Israel.

The fighting continued over the weekend despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to suspend its operations at Rafah, which includes a crossing point with Egypt essential for the entry of humanitarian aid.

Other strikes were reported on Sunday evening in other areas of Rafah. The Kuwaiti hospital reported receiving the bodies of three people, including a pregnant woman. The Israeli army also reported that Hamas had fired eight rockets from Rafah and said it had retaliated by shelling the town.

Qatar warns of consequences for talks Qatar, the mediator between Israel and Hamas, warned on Monday of the possible repercussions of this Israeli strike on mediation efforts. ‘The bombings will complicate the mediation efforts underway and hamper attempts to reach an agreement for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip’, warned the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

Egypt, a neighbouring country, condemned what it called a ‘deliberate bombardment’ by Israel of this camp for displaced persons. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry urged Israel to ‘apply the measures dictated by the International Court of Justice concerning an immediate cessation of military operations’ at Rafah. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that his country would do ‘everything possible’ to hold Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and the ‘barbaric’ authorities to account.

In France, Emmanuel Macron expressed his ‘indignation at the Israeli strikes that have caused numerous victims among the displaced persons in Rafah’ in a message on X.

Franco-Palestinian activist Rima Hassan, a candidate in the European elections on the La France insoumise list, called for a protest rally on Monday evening in Paris, followed by a march to the Israeli embassy.