Rafah Airstrike Map: Israel Releases Where Missiles Hit

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) released a map that purports to show the area targeted in an airstrike on Rafah while denouncing Hamas for "lies and misinformation" regarding the strike.

Over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its assault on Gaza following the surprise October 7 attack by Hamas, according to the Associated Press, citing local health authorities. The initial Hamas attack killed approximately 1,200 in Israel, while about 250 hostages were taken.

At least 45 people were killed in a Rafah tent camp following the Israeli attack that ignited a massive fire on Sunday night, according to Reuters. The strike prompted global condemnation and calls for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to enforce its recent ruling demanding that Israel cease its attack on Rafah.

The IDF said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, that the strike had been "carried out against legitimate targets under international law, through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence," while acknowledging that "several civilians in the area were harmed" due to the fire.

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, the IDF said that it had "encouraged civilians to evacuate" a "humanitarian area" in Rafah while announcing that it was investigating the reported deaths of civilians in the area due to an "exceptional incident" having taken place.

"The incident is under the investigation of the General Staff's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which is an independent body responsible for examining exceptional incidents in combat," the statement reads.

"The General Staff's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism is investigating the circumstances of the deaths of civilians in the area of the strike. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians during combat."

The IDF posted a map on Monday morning alongside claims that the targeted zone was not part of the Rafah humanitarian area, despite Hamas' claims to the contrary. The IDF asserted that the strike had only targeted "Hamas terrorists."

"Last night, the [Israeli Air Force] carried out an intelligence-based precise strike that targeted senior Hamas terrorists in Tal as Sultan," the IDF post stated, sharing the map that purports to show the strike zone.

"Contrary to Hamas' lies and misinformation, the strike did not take place in the Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Area, This is the area where the strike actually happened," it said.

The map shows the targeted area just to the west of the humanitarian area.

UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, accused Israel of launching "further attacks on families seeking shelter" on X, calling the Rafah airstrike "horrifying."

"There are reports of mass causalities including children and women among those killed," UNRWA wrote. "Gaza is hell on earth. Images from last night are yet another testament to that."

Newsweek reached out for comment to UNRWA via email on Monday.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's top foreign affairs official, also wrote on X that he was "horrified" by the Rafah attack and demanded that Israel immediately cease its military operation in Gaza.

"Horrified by news coming out of #Rafah on Israeli strikes killing dozens of displaced persons, including small children," Borrell wrote. "I condemn this in the strongest terms. There is no safe place in Gaza. These attacks must stop immediately. ICJ orders & IHL must be respected by all parties."

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