'Horror must stop': UN chief condemns Israel after airstrike kills '45' in Rafah tent camp

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Israeli strike in Rafah, saying that the “horror must stop” as  there is no safe place in Gaza. “I condemn Israel’s actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict. There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop.” he said in a post on X.

I condemn Israel’s actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict.

There is no safe place in Gaza.

This horror must stop.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 27, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a tragic mistake had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed at least 45 people Sunday and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris. Gaza’s Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.

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Earlier Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt, following its seizure by Israeli forces earlier this month. The Israeli military reported that 126 aid trucks entered through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

However, it remains unclear if humanitarian groups could access the aid, including medical supplies, due to ongoing fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israel’s offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies have stated that it is often too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization warned last week that an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have a “disastrous” impact.

“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” said a spokesperson for U.N. chief Antonio Guterres.

Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is returned to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom after a call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in nearly 36,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel attributes civilian deaths to Hamas’ operations in dense residential areas.

Approximately 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, with severe hunger widespread and some areas experiencing famine, according to U.N. officials.

Hamas initiated the war with its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, where Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages. Hamas still holds some 100 hostages and the remains of about 30 others after most were released during a cease-fire last year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas’ remaining forces and achieve “total victory” over the militants, who have recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza.