The initial investigation of Monday's precision airstrike in northern Rafah has not definitively identified the cause of the fatal fire, in which dozens of displaced Gazans were killed. The Southern Command submitted to IDF Chief of Staff Major General Herzi Halevi on Monday night the findings of the initial investigation of the incident at the beginning of the week in which two senior officers from the West Bank Hamas headquarters, who were in the town of Tel al-Sultan near Rafah, were killed in an Israeli Air Force attack.
Halevi requested additional information and data, and the investigation is expected to continue, but from the initial findings that the IDF is now also presenting to the foreign media, it appears that the point of the attack was defined as an area from which Hamas carried out terrorist operations; Some 47 meters from the point of attack there was a Hamas rocket launcher, and a kilometer separated the safe zone that the IDF had set up for the displaced and the point of attack.
Fire in refugee camp in Rafah after airstrike
It also appears that the two men who were eliminated were inside a closed complex and not in the nearby internally displaced persons camp being used by civilians.
In the attack, the Air Force used weapons that have been used hundreds of times in recent months - two small missiles launched from fighter jets, each carrying 17 kilograms of explosives in its warhead. The warhead was small to prevent civilian casualties.
The army says that these munitions were not mean to set fire to the refugee tent complex. "We have a suspicion, following intelligence surveillance and analysis of the videos from the event that were distributed on social networks, that secondary explosions at the site were caused by Hamas ammunition storage. This suspicion is under investigation," the IDF said in a statement.
The findings were forwarded to the Joint Chiefs of Staff's investigation mechanism headed by Lt. Col. Yoav Har-Even, which is investigating the unusual incident by order of the military attorney's office. The IDF also stated that after the two senior officers who were eliminated, Yassin Rabia, a senior Hamas commander leading the terrorist group’s operations in the West Bank, and Khaled Nagar, a senior official in Hamas’ West Bank command.
A lengthy surveillance procedure and the exact intelligence about the two senior terrorists came from the Shin Bet. Shocking photos and videos of the results of the air strike that killed the terrorists, including the bodies of children, led to condemnations against Israel around the world.
The IDF spokesman emphasized that "Hamas has been firing rockets from these places at Israel since the October 7 massacre," and that additional documentation and evidence were found that weapons were stored in the area of the attack.
At the same time, the IDF's operation continues in the outskirts of Rafah, which is defined by the army as a terror target. The IDF refused to confirm the report in the Reuters news agency that Israeli tanks entered the city center Tuesday morning.
"So far, we have uncovered dozens of tunnels, some of which cross into Sinai, in coordination with the Egyptians. We are working to disband the Hamas battalions in Rafah," the IDF spokesperson said. The army also stated that the joint investigation into Monday's shooting incident between IDF soldiers and the Egyptian army at the Rafah crossing, in which an Egyptian soldier was killed, continues in full coordination with Egypt.
Against the backdrop of the IDF's entry into the center of Rafah, health officials in Gaza reported that 21 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday in attacks in the area of the displaced persons' tents in the city. Thr Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that dozens were injured as a result of attacks aimed at the displaced persons' tents in the vicinity of the American Field Hospital in the west of Rafah.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will meet Tuesday for an urgent discussion regarding the attack in Rafah, diplomatic sources told the French news agency AFP. According to the sources, the council will meet at the request of Algeria, while in the background many countries around the world are demanding that Israel comply with the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague requiring it to stop the military operation in the southern Gaza city.
The discussion in the Security Council convenes a day after the serious incident in Rafah, and following a series of condemnations and great outrage around the world. Among the countries that called on Israel to obey the decision were its allies in Europe.
"International humanitarian law applies to everyone, including Israel's conduct in the war," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Condemnation was also heard from French President Emmanuel Macron, who said he was "shocked" by Israel's recent attacks, which he said caused the death of many refugees in Rafah. "These actions must stop. There is no safe area in Rafah for Palestinian citizens. I call for full respect of international law and an immediate cease-fire," he said.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto warned that bombings like the one in Rafah would have long-term consequences for Israel. Other senior officials in Europe made even harsher statements, and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, whose country has recognized a Palestinian state, stated: "If Israel continues to act contrary to the court's position, we will take the necessary steps to enforce it."