Israel launches airstrikes, kills twenty-two people in Rafah

Twenty-two people were killed as Israel launched its airstrikes overnight on Friday, which hit two residential buildings in Rafah, while two other sites were bombed in central Gaza. One of the damaged sites included a kindergarten-turned-shelter where the Palestinians took place.

The first airstrike hit a building near Rafah’s Kuwaiti Hospital, which resulted in the killing of five people from the al-Sayed family, including three children and a woman. The second Rafah strike killed three people.

Notably, the aid agencies and Biden administration officials have warned Israel against expanding its Gaza ground offensive to the southern city. 

According to the reports of the United Nations, due to the scarcity of food in Gaza, people are on the verge of being feminine. It has been estimated that around 300,000 people are dependent on the agencies for aid. Israel has sealed the small and densely populated area and ordered people of the north and central Gaza to move south as it pursued those who were responsible for the October 7 attack. 

Due to such conditions, more than half of Gaza is overcrowded by the people who took shelter in the city of Rafah on the south coast. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered troops to be prepared to attack due to an overcrowding population.

It is to be noted that five people were killed and injured several people in the kindergarten-turned-shelter. During the strike occurred, the residents were sleeping at the place. 

The bombardment targeted the overcrowded Rafah following the warning issued by USA President Joe Biden’s administration officials and aid agencies against Israel for expanding its Gaza ground offensive to the southern city. 

He warned on Thursday that Israel would shake a war sparked by a deadly attack on October 7. Moreover, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza noted that the Palestinian death toll is standing at 28,000 now. 

Noting this, they estimated that two-thirds of deaths included women and children. However, they do not differentiate between civilians and soldiers. 

“We have yet to see any evidence of serious planning for such an operation. Going ahead with such an offensive now, ‘with no planning and little thought in an area where there is sheltering of a million people, would be a disaster”, added Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesperson.