Newborns burnt alive, children beheaded and bodies of civilians scattered in tents housing displaced Palestinians – this is the aftermath of Israel’s war on Gaza.
At least 35 people were killed in ‘barbaric’ strikes on a refugee camp in the city of Rafah, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Makeshift shelters were supposed to be safe havens for civilians, yet they became targets of ‘inhumane’ violence over the weekend.
Footage being shared by journalists on the ground show bodies covered in ashes on the ground, women and children ‘dismembered and burnt alive’.
A video circulating online, which Metro.co.uk has decided not to publish because of how graphic it is, showed a man holding the body of newborn – beheaded and ripped to shreds in the strike.
People can be seen trying to put out flames with water and extinguishers as fire engines arrived at the site.
It came hours after Hamas’ first rocket attack on Tel Aviv, and just two days after the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) order for Israel to halt operations in Rafah.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it is reviewing reports of a strike sparking fires and harming civilians, but claimed it had hit a Hamas facility.
It claimed to take out Yassin Rabia, Hamas’ commander in the West Bank, and another senior official, Israel blames for carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel.
Confirming a precision strike in the Tal as Sultan neighbourhood, northwest of Rafah, the IDF claimed the strike was ‘based on precise intelligence’.
But Palestinian officials and humanitarian workers claim Israel’s strikes hit some 10 centres housing refugees displaced from other parts of Gaza by the IDF’s invasion.
ActionAid, a charity working on the ground in Gaza, claimed eight Israeli missiles hit ‘eight missiles at ‘makeshift shelters’ housing displaced people.
One of its aid workers said: ‘Within seconds, they [IDF] bombed a tent area in Rafah with more than 8 missiles.
‘There are no stones or roofs, only metal and nylon sheets. Hundreds of people thought they are sleeping safely and won’t die, so they went to these areas and lived there to escape death.
‘Now dozens of people are dying, and dozens or even hundreds of people or more are injured, but no one knows yet.
‘Not to mention the total burning of everything people own. And how many times has this burning happened?’
The ICJ ordered Israel to ‘immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah’ after an application by South Africa accusing it of genocide.
A judge said the situation there had deteriorated since it last told Israel to improve things.
Israel dismissed the allegations and said it would ignore the order, the BBC reported.
Yesterday Hamas a ‘massive’ barrage of missiles towards Tel Aviv in Israel, the first rockets it’s fired there in months.
Al-Qassam has reportedly fired missile salvo from the Rafah area of the Gaza strip towards the Israeli city.
Israeli Defence Forces said: ‘Following the alerts that were activated a short time ago in the center of the country, eight launches were detected that crossed from the Rafah area into the territory of the country. Air defense fighters intercepted several launches.’
It’s unknown how many rockets reached Tel Aviv, but explosions have been reported.
The last air siren in Tel Aviv was on January 29, according to journalist Zachary Anders.
Shortly after the rocket fire from Rafah, Israel reportedly conducted an airstrike targeting Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza – killing three.
MDA reported: ‘MDA medics and paramedics provide medical treatment and refer to Meir Hospital a 52-year-old woman and a 30-year-old woman in mild condition, fully conscious, who were injured on the way to a protected area.’
Video showed Israelis in the city running for cover as the alarms sounded.
The barrage comes during the ongoing conflict near Rafah, where thousands of Gazans have fled after the strip was bombed in the last six months.
Within the last 24 hours, 81 people have been killed in Gaza with a reported 223 injuries, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Earlier this month, the UK foreign secretary has said it would be wrong for Israel to carry out an offensive in Rafah without plans to protect people.
The UK foreign secretary has said it would be wrong for Israel to carry out an offensive in Rafah without plans to protect people.
David Cameron told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News that the UK will not support an offensive ‘in that way’. (Metro)