Rafah Update as IDF Claims Over Offensive Raise Questions

Israel's explanation of its strike in southern Gaza, which left dozens of Palestinians dead, is facing scrutiny and condemnation as the Rafah offensive continues.

An Israeli air strike on the city on Sunday was followed by a fire at a tent camp that killed at least 45 displaced people there and injured 249 others, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

In a statement issued on Tuesday next to an overhead image of the scene, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that a strike took place 1.7 kilometers (1.1 miles) from a humanitarian area and used "precise munitions...to eliminate two senior Hamas terrorists."

"We are looking into the possibility of secondary explosions from a Hamas ammunition warehouse near the civilian compound and over 100 meters (328 feet) away from the strike site—causing the fire that tragically took civilian lives," the IDF statement added.

But the explanation and the distance between the IDF targets and the site of the fire have raised questions on social media.

"How can this be described as a precision strike if it supposedly detonates explosives over 100 metres away," Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU), posted on X next to the IDF statement.

"Hang on. The IDF are trying to say their precision strike activated Hamas munitions 100m away. Even if this was true, 100m radius is not precision..." Marc Owen Jones, associate professor of Middle East Studies at Qatar's Hamad Bin Khalifa University, posted on X.

In response to a request for comment, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Newsweek that "due to unforeseen circumstances, a fire ignited tragically taking the lives of Gazan civilians nearby."

"This is a devastating incident which we did not expect. We are investigating what caused the fire that resulted in this tragic loss of life."

Israel's strike on Sunday has drawn condemnation from UN agencies, aid organizations and several governments. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned Sunday's strike and said it holds the Israeli authorities "fully responsible for what is happening in Rafah."

CNN reported that its analysis of video from the scene and a review by explosives experts found that U.S.-made munitions were used in the strike, which has not shifted the dial in the Biden administration's policy towards Israel.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the strike did not cross a red line, telling reporters that Israel said "this is a tragic mistake," but he reiterated that the White House would not support a major ground operation in Rafah.

Israeli forces have reached the center of Rafah and reportedly seized a strategically important hill overlooking the border with Egypt.

Meanwhile, a group of 19 NGOs, including Action Aid, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Oxfam have called on the UN Security Council to enforce the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) orders regarding Israel's actions in Rafah.

Last week, the court said there should be an immediate halt to military operations in Rafah, the opening of the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian relief, and access to investigate potential violations of the Genocide Convention.

In a joint statement shared with Newsweek on Monday, the group said that the Security Council "must act now to uphold justice, protect human rights, and maintain international peace and security.

"Failure to do so would further compromise the conditions to sustain human life in Gaza and would undermine global trust in the primacy of international law."

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