Arab states strongly condemn Israel attack in Rafah

Saudi Arabia condemned Israel's attack on Rafah, “the latest of which is targeting the tents of displaced Palestinians near the warehouses of UNRWA northwest of Rafah,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

According to the Arab media, Egypt on Monday condemned what it called the “deliberate bombardment by Israeli forces of displaced peoples’ tents” in Rafah, in strikes which Gaza’s civil defense agency said killed at least 40 people.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on Israel to “implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning an immediate cessation of military operations” in Rafah.

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The ministry condemned the strike as “a new flagrant violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.”

It deplored the “tragic event” and denounced the “targeting of defenseless civilians” and “a systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable.”

Jordan also expressed its condemnation, accusing Israel of committing “ongoing war crimes.”

Amman said the bombardment in Rafah “defies the rulings of the International Court of Justice and constitutes a severe violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

The Palestinian presidency and Hamas have accused Israel of committing a “massacre” by targeting a center for displaced people near Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s army said it had killed two senior Hamas officials in an air strike on a compound in the city and said it was aware of reports that civilians had been harmed in the incident and that it was “under review.”

“The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law,” it said.

Separately, mediator nation Qatar said that Israel’s latest strikes could hinder talks towards a truce and hostage release deal.

The foreign ministry voiced “concern that the bombing will complicate ongoing mediation efforts and hinder reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”

Kuwait’s foreign ministry also decried the Israeli attack on the camp housing displaced Palestinians near Rafah, saying the it exposed Israel’s “blatant war crimes and unprecedented genocide to the whole world.”

MNA