TRANSCRIPT
Just days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, an air attack on Rafah killed dozens of people and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city.
More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million population had sought shelter in the area before Israel's incursion earlier this month.
Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.
Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman says the target was a Hamas installation where senior Hamas members were located.
"We went after two Hamas commanders, responsible for many, many attacks in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza, but predominantly Judea and Samaria, shooting attacks."
Gaza’s Health Ministry says women and children make up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.
Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction.
Mr Hyman says the civilian casualties are to be regretted.
“According to initial reports, a fire broke out, after the attack. These terrorists were hiding underground. And, it would appear that there were civilian casualties. We're looking into this. I will say, that it was definitely grave. Any loss of life, civilian life is grave and is awful."
The incident has been widely condemned internationally.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, says the air strike is particularly galling in the wake of the International Court of Justice's ruling directed at Israel last week.
"I condemn this in the strongest terms. It proves that there is no safe place in Gaza and these attacks take place immediately after the International Court of Justice ordered it to stop all military activities in Gaza."
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto says he understands Israel's concerns following the October 7th attacks by Hamas - but he says Hamas is one thing and the Palestinian people are another.
He says Israel needs to make that distinction and that such strikes will have long-standing repercussions.
"I have the impression that Israel with this choice is spreading hatred, rooting hatred that will involve their children and grandchildren. I would have preferred another decision. I reiterate that even though I share all the reasons that have bought (them) to the reaction after the shameful bloodshed and the kidnapping of the hostages by Hamas. But Hamas is something and the Palestinian people is something else. They should have used more discernment."
A senior official with Hamas says the violence in Gaza is continuing because the United States is providing Israel with military equipment, bombs and ammunition that kill dozens if not hundreds of children, women and civilians/
Osama Hamdan denies Israel's statements that some Hamas gunmen were targeted in the Rafah strike.
"We hold the American administration and its president, Joe Biden, personally and fully responsible for this ugly massacre against the displaced in Rafah and for all the crimes by the occupation in the Gaza Strip, and that is through America continuing to provide political and military cover for the occupation, and continuing to supply it with military equipment, bombs and ammunition that kill dozens if not hundreds of children, women and civilians daily.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged there was what he called a “technical failure” in Rafah..
In a speech before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, he said Israel was investigating the strike.
"In Rafah, we have already evacuated about a million non-involved residents and despite our best efforts not to harm the non-involved, unfortunately a technical failure happened last night. We are investigating the case, we will present the conclusions, because this is our policy".
Meanwhile former presidential candidate and former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has been visiting two sites of the October 7th attack, the Nova music festival and Kibbutz Nir Oz, with Danny Danon, who previously served as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations alongside Ms Haley.
She says America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight the war.
She says the European countries who have recognised Palestinian statehood effectively gave credit to Hamas and all that they did.
She says America doesn't have a choice.
"What America needs to understand is if Israel is fighting our enemies, how can we not help them? The sure way to not help Israel is to withhold weapons. The sure way to not help Israel is to praise the ICC or the ICJ or any of those that are condemning Israel instead of condemning what happens. America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight this war. Until you've lived it, you can't say how to fight it. You're either a friend or you're not a friend."
The war has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count.
Around 1200 people died in the October 7th attack by Hamas.
About 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and UN officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.
