Libertarian-minded Rep. Thomas Massie reminded Sen. Elizabeth Warren that she voted for a foreign aid bill that sent weapons to Israel, while the Massachusetts Democrat called the IDF offensive in Rafah “horrible.”
‘The Israeli bombing of a refugee camp within a designated safe zone is horrific. “Israel has a duty to protect innocent civilians and the Palestinians seeking refuge in Rafah have nowhere safe to go,” Warren wrote in X.
‘Netanyahu’s attack on Rafah must stop. “We need an immediate ceasefire.”
Massie, R-Ky., responded: “Madam, you voted to send those bombs to Israel.”
Warren voted to approve a $95 billion foreign aid package that included $26 billion for Israel and Gaza. Some $9 billion went to humanitarian assistance in Gaza and more than $9 billion went to Israel’s defenses.
Massie opposed the package and joined an unsuccessful effort to try to unseat President Mike Johnson over it.
Libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie reminded Sen. Elizabeth Warren that she voted for a foreign aid bill that sent weapons to Israel, as the Massachusetts Democrat called the IDF offensive in Rafah “horrible.”
Israel regretted that its strikes had killed civilians in a refugee camp in Rafah, but said its missiles had killed two senior Hamas leaders.
At least 45 people were killed by the explosion and subsequent fires, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, including 23 women, children and elderly people. The ministry said 249 people were injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the civilian deaths were a “tragic accident.”
Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Forces attempted to minimize civilian deaths by asking Gazans to evacuate, but “despite our utmost effort not to harm uninvolved civilians, last night a tragic incident occurred, to our regret.” accident”.
He accused Hamas of hiding among the general population and said: ‘For us, every uninvolved civilian who is injured is a tragedy. For Hamas it is a strategy. That’s the whole difference.’
The attack caused a fire that devastated the camp in the Tal Al-Sultan area of Rafah governorate, reducing tents and shelters to ashes.
Images released by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed chaotic night scenes of ambulances rushing to the site of the attack and evacuating the injured, including children.
When the Palestinians cleared the site on Monday, only blackened metal sheets and charred boards remained, and the tents had been virtually destroyed.
The attack came after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its offensive on Rafah and officials attempted to restart ceasefire negotiations.
It caused international outrage.
“The word tragic doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Vice President Kamala Harris said of the strike.
“The devastating images following the IDF attack in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking,” said a spokesperson for President Biden’s National Security Council.
A person reacts at the scene of an Israeli attack on a displaced persons camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on May 27, 2024.
A child is seen at the site of an Israeli attack on a camp for displaced people in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024.
A boy looks at the rubble after the Israeli bombing of tents in Rafah
‘Israel has the right to pursue Hamas, and we understand that this attack killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians. But as we have made clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians. “We are actively engaging the IDF and our partners on the ground to assess what happened and we understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by Israel’s latest attacks. ‘These operations must cease. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,” he stated in X.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the attack “an indefensible atrocity,” adding in a social media post that “it’s past time for the president to keep his word and stop military aid.”
“Horrible and heartbreaking images emerged from Rafah last night,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “How much longer will the United States stand by while the Israeli army slaughters and mutilates Palestinian babies?”
Additionally, Israeli forces exchanged fire with Egyptian troops along their shared border, resulting in the death of at least one Egyptian soldier.
The IDF this afternoon reported a “shooting incident” on the border near the crossing into Gaza, adding that it was discussing the matter with Egyptian authorities but did not reveal any further information.
‘A few hours ago there was a shooting on the border with Egypt. The incident is under review and talks are being held with the Egyptians,’ the army said this afternoon in a statement.
Cairo quickly confirmed the shooting when a military spokesman said authorities had opened an investigation into the incident.
“In Rafah, we already evacuated around 1 million non-combatant residents and, despite our utmost efforts not to harm non-combatants, unfortunately something went tragically wrong,” Netanyahu said in a speech in parliament after the bombing in Rafah. Rafah, amid the noise of opposition legislators. Screams.
But the IDF is unlikely to back down from its Rafah offensive in southern Gaza, where millions of Palestinians fled when war broke out in the north.
Over the weekend, Hamas launched rocket attacks on Tel Aviv from Rafah for the first time in four months, indicating that the militant group is still capable of threatening Israel. All rockets were intercepted by air defenses.