Two prominent Hamas terrorists were slain by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday during airstrikes on Rafah. The raids were in retaliation for a rocket fire by Hamas that triggered sirens throughout central Israel.
According to the IDF, Israeli planes destroyed a Hamas complex near Rafah, killing Khaled Nagar, a senior member of the West Bank division, and Yassin Rabia, the Hamas chief of staff for the West Bank.
According to the IDF, both people were responsible for terrorist assaults that resulted in the deaths of Israeli troops. They were also reportedly engaged in the transfer of finances for terrorist actions in the West Bank.
“The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area,” the IDF stated on social media platform X.
The Israeli military noted that it was aware of reports that “several civilians in the area were harmed” as a result of the strike, adding that “the incident is under review.”
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is operated by Hamas, reports that at least 35 people were killed and several others injured in IDF bombings on Rafah, where about half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are finding cover.
Shortly before the airstrike, Hamas fired a flurry of rockets into central Israel from the southern Gaza city of Rafah, causing sirens to sound for the first time in months in areas like Tel Aviv.
The Israeli Air Force deployed aircraft targeting the rocket launcher used in the incident after the IDF stated that Hamas fired eight rounds from two mosques in Rafah.
“While we facilitate aid to the Rafah area, Hamas fires rockets toward Israeli cities and continues to systematically exploit civilian areas,” the Israeli military stated.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the IDF strikes on Rafah and vowed that his country would do “everything we can to hold those [Israeli] barbarians” accountable.
“This massacre, which took place after the International Court of Justice’s call to stop the attacks, once again revealed the bloody and treacherous face of the terrorist state,” Mr. Erdogan stated on X.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), situated in the Netherlands, had demanded prior to the attack that the Israeli government promptly cease "its military offensive and any other action" in Rafah.
The current Israeli operations in Rafah "may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part," the International Court of Justice ruled in its verdict on May 24.
The South African government asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to change its January finding requiring the Israeli government to adopt safety measures to protect civilians during its continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip. This request led to the current verdict.
The South African government has requested an international court-ordered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, claiming that Israeli actions there may amount to acts of genocide against the Palestinian people. However, the international court rejected this request in its January ruling.
Rafah is one of Hamas's final strongholds, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian terrorist organization launched many strikes within Israel. Mr. Netanyahu has maintained that in order to defeat Hamas during the battle, a full-scale attack on the city is required.
But the administration of President Joe Biden and other foreign observers have cautioned against carrying out extensive operations in Rafah without a strategy to safeguard the civilian populace there.
When the terrorists from Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, they took over 250 captives and killed almost 1,200 people. This led to an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza that has since claimed over 36,000 lives, according to the health department administered by Hamas. Both fighters and civilians are shown in this figure.
