An Israeli attack on a camp near Rafah, which had been designated as a “safe zone” for displaced Palestinian civilians, killed at least 45 people and injured more than 200 others on Sunday, according to media reports and the Gaza Ministry of Health. CNN reported that a video apparently shot in the Tal al-Sultan camp showed “horror scenes: charred bodies being pulled from the rubble, a man holding the decapitated body of a child, fire coming from tents in the background raged.”
Reactions from around the world included many expressions of outrage, with the EU’s foreign policy chief, Germany’s foreign minister and French President Emmanuel Macron all calling for an immediate ceasefire. On Monday morning, the Israeli military announced it would launch an investigation into the “circumstances of the deaths of civilians in the area of the attack,” under the auspices of a semi-independent investigative body.
Israeli officials initially stated that the attack had killed two senior Hamas commanders and that significant civilian casualties were not expected.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its military operation in Rafah. On Monday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the International Court of Justice rulings as “binding,” adding: “They must of course be adhered to.” Speaking at a special meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Baerbock continued: “Currently we are experiencing the opposite. … At the same time, we see that it is not a gain for Israel’s security that no hostage will be released if people are being burned in tents at this time. International humanitarian law applies to everyone, including Israeli warfare.”
This can mean a significant change in tone. For obvious historical reasons, Germany has long been Israel’s closest European ally.
At the same conference in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized Israel for continuing “the military action that the country has been asked to stop,” adding that it was “completely unacceptable” to Israeli officials to accuse the International Criminal Court or the International Court of Justice of anti-Semitism.
Macron, who has held a series of talks in Paris aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict, said on Monday he was “outraged” by reports of the devastating attack on the Rafah camp. “I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire,” the French president concluded.
