Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the deaths caused by an Israeli airstrike on Rafah a “tragic mistake”. The attack ignited a camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, resulted in the deaths of at least 45 people.
This comes amid a growing criticism of Israel’s methods in Gaza.
In a speech, Netanyahu said, “In Rafah, we already evacuated about 1 million non-combatant residents and despite our utmost effort not to harm non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong.”
“We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions, because this is our policy,” he added.
Rafah attack
The attack on Rafah, which is one of the deadliest seen in the conflict, pushed the overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza to above 36,000, as per the Gaza Health Ministry. It said the 45 dead people include at least 12 women, eight children and three older adults. Three other bodies were burned beyond recognition.
One of the people who rushed to the scene was Mohammed Abuassa. He said the rescuers “pulled out people who were in an unbearable state.”
“We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal,” he added.
Canada to issue more Visas to Gazans
Canada has announced it will issue visas to 5,000 Gazans, exceeding its original pledge, and expressed being “horrified” by the Israeli airstrike in Rafah that caused a blaze resulting in 45 deaths. This increase represents a five-fold rise from the 1,000 temporary resident visas allocated under a special program announced in December for relatives of Canadians living in the enclave.
(With agency inputs)