Israel-Hamas war latest: ‘At least 25 killed’ in strikes on tent camp near Rafah

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, has issued a statement about the damage that was caused to its office by shelling in Gaza.

In a statement on X it said heavy-calibre projectiles “landed within metres of the office and residences of the ICRC”.

This incident caused a mass casualty influx at the nearby Red Cross Field Hospital.

“This grave security incident is one of several in recent days; previously stray bullets have reached ICRC structures. We decry these incidents that put the lives of humanitarians and civilians at risk,” it said in its statement.

A commercial ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden has seen explosions near the vessel, authorities have said this morning, in what appears to be latest attack by Yemen’s Houthis.

The apparent fire by the Houthis comes after the sinking this week of the ship Tutor, which marked what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign of attacks on ships in the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

The Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014, have not claimed the attack. 

But it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.

The Houthis have launched more than 60 attacks targeting specific vessels and fired other missiles and drones in their campaign that has killed four sailors. 

The IDF has said there is “no indication” it launched a deadly strike on a Gaza tent camp where hundreds of displaced Palestinians are living in tents.

“An initial inquiry conducted suggests that there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the IDF in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The incident is under review,” an IDF spokesman told AFP.

The latest attack comes less than a month after an Israeli bombing caused a deadly fire that tore through a refugee camp in southern Gaza – drawing widespread international outrage.

Israel continues to push ahead with its military operation into Rafah where over a million Palestinians initially sought refuge from fighting elsewhere in Gaza.

Israeli forces shelled tent camps for displaced Palestinians north of Rafah, in southern Gaza, yesterday, killing at least 25 people and wounding another 50, according to reports.

It is the latest attack in the Palestinian territory where hundreds of thousands have fled fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Here is what we know…

According to Ahmed Radwan, a spokesperson for the Civil Defence first responders in Rafah, witnesses told rescue workers about the shelling at two locations in a coastal area that has become filled with tents.

The locations of the attacks provided by Civil Defence were just outside an Israeli-designated safe zone.

The Israeli military said they were looking into the strikes at the reported coordinates.

Witnesses whose relatives died in one of the bombardments near a Red Cross field hospital told The Associated Press that Israeli forces fired a second volley that killed people who came out of their tents.

Welcome back to our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed, and 50 injured, after Israeli tanks reportedly fired on tents sheltering displaced families in southern Gaza yesterday, according to health officials and emergency workers in Gaza.

Witnesses said the latest attack took place in al-Mawasi, a rural area on the Mediterranean coast that has become filled with makeshift tents.

The Israeli military has said it is still looking into the attack at the reported coordinates.

Here is what else has happened over the last 24 hours: 

• An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City municipal facility killed five people, including four municipal workers, the territory’s Civil Emergency Service said;
• US officials reportedly ordered the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America’s response to the Houthi attacks, to return home;
• Armenia said it would recognise a Palestinian state, prompting Israel to summon its ambassador for what the foreign ministry described as a “severe reprimand”.

The Israeli state will continue to pay for the temporary housing and hotels for citizens caught up in the 7 October Hamas attacks and the resulting conflict with militant groups in Gaza and Lebanon. 

Thousands of Israelis, particularly in the areas bordering Gaza and Lebanon, have been put up at the expense of the state since their displacement – allowed to return to their homes only when the security situation allows. 

Earlier this year, our international correspondent Alex Rossi visitedKiryat Shmona, an evacuated Israeli settlement near Lebanon, and described a ghost-town like scene…

Some of those in temporary living situations were hoping to return soon, but today the government’s extension of the scheme seems to have poured cold water on that. 

“The government, today, approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal… to extend the period of lodging for residents who have been evacuated from their homes, in the hotels and temporary housing solutions, which are being financed by the state, until 15 August 2024,” a statement from Mr Netanyahu’s office read.

“This is according to professional considerations and an assessment of the overall conditions that would allow for the residents to return to their homes.”

The Israel Defence Forces has struck what it says are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. 

It said the air force had “intercepted a suspicious aerial target over southern Lebanon” and fighter jets were dispatched in response.

“IDF fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military structure in the area of Yaroun in southern Lebanon,” it said in a statement, adding: “IDF [also] artillery fired to remove a threat in the area of Amra.”

For context: Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which means “Party of God” in Arabic, openly calls for the destruction of the “Zionist regime in Palestine” and is deemed a terror organisation by most Western powers.

The militia has long aligned itself with Hamas and Islamic Jihad and has frequently clashed with IDF forces on the Israel-Lebanon border since the most recent conflict broke out on 7 October.

But the violence has largely been contained to areas at the border, shaped by what observers have called unwritten rules of engagement between adversaries that have long threatened each other with catastrophic damage in the event of war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously warned that Beirut would be turned “into Gaza” if Hezbollah started an all-out war.

These images show Muslims in Jerusalem praying outside the Al Aqsa mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. 

Access to the mosque has been strictly supervised by the Israel Defence Forces in recent months, with many worshippers complaining about unnecessarily tight rules for a holy place. 

As we outlined in our 7.12am post, today Muslims are holding prayers for Eid al Adha.

The holiday, commonly translated as the Feast of Sacrifice, is the second of the two main Islamic holidays alongside Eid al Fitr.

The US Navy has shared details of how its sailors rescued the crew of a commercial ship struck by the Yemeni Houthi group.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk cargo carrier M/V Tutor was struck by a Houthi “unmanned vessel” in the southern Red Sea on 12 June, which “caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room”.

“A helicopter from helicopter maritime strike squadron 74 airlifted 24 civilian mariners from Tutor to Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea,” the navy said.

“From there, helicopters from helicopter sea combat squadron 7 transported the group to USS Dwight D Eisenhower.” 

After being medically checked on board, the mariners were flown ashore for follow-on care.

One civilian mariner remains missing, however. 

For context: The Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthis say they are targeting any and all ships they believe are linked, operated, owned, flagged or travelling to or from Israel. 

US and British destroyers are among an international naval taskforce set up to combat the Houthi attacks in the area.