NBC NEWS
Nearly three dozen people were killed Sunday night in Rafah in southern Gaza in an Israeli airstrike that hit an area where internally displaced civilians were reportedly sheltering in tents, Palestinian health officials said.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 35 people died, the majority being women and children, in the strike on the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood. The Palestine Red Crescent Society warned that the number of casualties may rise, as many people were trapped in flames that erupted following the bombardment.
“It is important to note that this location was designated by the Israeli occupation as a humanitarian area, and citizens were coerced into evacuating to it,” the humanitarian and medical aid group said.
Médecins Sans Frontières, known as Doctors Without Borders in English, said at least 15 dead and dozens of injured people were taken to a trauma stabilization point it supports.
“We are horrified by this deadly event, which shows once again that nowhere is safe,” the organization said. “We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza.”
Video shared to social media and verified by NBC News showed a tent area engulfed in flames as screaming Palestinians fled for safety and civil defense crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
One video showed a seemingly unconscious man being dragged by his feet out of a walled area. Two men who pulled him out then walked back into the flames, seemingly to find more people.
Other videos showed disturbing images, including severely burned corpses and a man holding what appeared to be the headless body of a small child.
The Israel Defense Forces said the strike targeted two Hamas leaders who it said were responsible for organizing terrorist attacks in the occupied West Bank area. It said that it was aware of reports that civilian tents were ignited in the strike and that the incident was “under review.”
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