Rafah Strikes Spark International Criticism Against Israel

News Desk 

Islamabad: Global condemnation erupted over an Israeli strike that Gaza officials reported had killed 45 people in a camp housing displaced Palestinians on Monday. 

The Israeli military announced it had initiated an investigation into the incident, which faced strong criticism from various nations and organizations.

United Nations

The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting regarding the Rafah strike, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemning the attack, stating it “killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict.” 

Guterres added on social media, “There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop.” Other UN officials also called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

European Union

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed his horror at the news from Rafah, where Israeli strikes reportedly killed dozens of displaced people, including small children. He stated, “I condemn this in the strongest terms.” In response, EU foreign ministers agreed to convene a meeting with Israel to seek an explanation.

United States

The US government emphasized that Israel must enhance its efforts to protect civilians. “As we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians,” stated a US National Security Council spokesperson. “We are actively engaging with the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened,” the spokesperson added.

African Union

“In the wake of devastating overnight airstrikes that primarily targeted Palestinian women and children… the State of Israel persists in flouting international law without consequence, despite a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ ) ruling mandating the cessation of its military operations in Rafah,” remarked AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat on X. “Urgent enforcement of the ICJ order is imperative for the preservation of global order,” he added.

France

“On X, formerly known as Twitter, President Emmanuel Macron declared, ‘These operations must cease. There are no safe zones in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,'” in English.

“I urge complete adherence to international law and an immediate ceasefire.”

Turkey

“We will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable who have nothing to do with humanity,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Egypt

The Egyptian foreign ministry expressed deep sorrow over the “tragic incident” and condemned the “deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians” as well as “a consistent strategy to escalate the scale of casualties and devastation in the Gaza Strip with the intention of rendering it uninhabitable.” It urged Israel to “adhere to the directives issued by the International Court of Justice for an immediate halt to military activities” in Rafah. 

Chile

Chile’s foreign ministry expressed firm condemnation of the indiscriminate assault by the Israel Defense Forces on a civilian refugee camp in Rafah. 

It also urged Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law and the directives issued by the ICJ. President Gabriel Boric labeled the attacks as “Criminals” in his Instagram post discussing the incidents.