The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have accused Israel of conducting a massacre in the southern Gaza Strip near Rafah by targeting a center for displaced people. According to Hamas officials, the attack resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people and numerous injuries. The Palestinian presidency denounced the incident, describing it as a violation of international resolutions and claiming that Israel deliberately targeted the Barkasat displaced persons center, which is operated by the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency.

Rafah is being decimated, there is nowhere else left to go. Israel is now bombing more than 1.7 million civilians trapped in Rafah, Gaza's last place of refuge. A massacre is happening in Rafah right now and the world is silent. pic.twitter.com/GrY4oK0JZF

— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) May 27, 2024

In response, Hamas and the Palestinian presidency have called for mass protests across various Palestinian territories and abroad. They urge people to rise up in anger against Israel's actions. However, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strike targeted a Hamas compound in Rafah, where important leaders of the group were operating. The IDF justified the attack, stating that it was carried out against legitimate targets under international law and based on precise intelligence indicating Hamas's use of the area.

The recent escalation follows Hamas's announcement of its first rocket attack on a neighborhood in central Israel, specifically targeting Tel Aviv, in nearly four months. The attack involved the firing of at least eight rockets from Rafah, some of which were intercepted by Israeli defenses.