Flames and screams hit the sky in Rafah May 26-27 as it was attacked throughout the night. A man, dazed, held up the body of a headless kid while others struggled to drag charred bodies from the remains of dissolved tents. These were the terrible scenes at the Barkasat camp, near a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) storage in northwest Rafah, following an Israeli army bombing.
The death toll had reached at least 45, according to Gaza’s health ministry. “It is important to note that this place was designated by the Israeli occupation as a humanitarian zone and that citizens were forced to evacuate there,” the Red Crescent said.
“Gaza is hell on earth. Last night’s photos are another testament… No place is secure. No one is secure,” UNRWA responded explaining they couldn’t contact their colleagues on the ground. Refugee Amal Abu Hajar found a bit further north, panicked: “It’s far away, but it feels like it’s in my chest. It could have been my children, my tent…”
This new bloodshed comes three days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) summoned Israel to “immediately” cease its military operation in Rafah and a week after detention warrants were allocated against Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh.
The outcry is international. French President Emmanuel Macron voiced he was “outraged” by the Israeli strikes and called for “full consideration for international law and an immediate ceasefire.” Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto denounced the violence against civilians as “no longer justifiable.” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell expressed the European Union would discuss how to implement the ICJ’s order.
On Israeli social media, the radical right did not conceal its unhealthy enthusiasm. Popular religious Zionist editor Yinon Magal tweeted then deleted that the Rafah bombing and following fire were the “bonfire of the year” referencing the Lag Ba’omer holiday observed with bonfires. Naveh Dromi, a columnist for the religious Zionist daily Makor Rishon, remarked “Happy holiday” under a photo of the fire. This alarming bombast spread across far-right Israeli WhatsApp and Telegram groups.
The Rafah border is the only intersection point to Egypt and has been locked by Israel since the military operation started on May 7. Egypt declines to reopen its side of the crossing while Israeli troops handle the other. According to several Israeli media platforms, an Egyptian soldier was killed and several others injured May 27, in a shootout with the Israeli troops near the crossing. On May 24, the ICJ called Israel to keep the crossing open to allow “unrestricted” access to humanitarian aid.
