The Israeli military has reportedly carried out an airstrike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than 1 million people have fled, killing at least 44 people, including children. Israel has indicated that it is preparing to launch a ground operation against Rafah, and other countries have strongly warned that it could lead to many casualties.
The Israeli military is intensifying its attacks on Rafah, the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip where more than 1 million people have fled, and on the 10th announced that it had killed a senior member of the Islamic organization Hamas in an airstrike on Rafah.
The Associated Press reported that homes were damaged and at least 44 people, including children, were killed in the airstrikes that took place from the night of the 9th to the 10th.
The Israeli military has indicated that it is preparing to launch ground operations in Rafah in the future.
In response, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which acts as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas, criticized it in a statement on the 10th, saying, ``We condemn in the strongest terms Israel's threat to attack Rafah.''
Rafah is extremely crowded with people who have been forced to evacuate from the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and there have been strong warnings from Western and Middle Eastern countries that ground operations could lead to many casualties.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced on the 10th that a tunnel had been discovered under the headquarters of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), which supports residents in the Gaza Strip.
The tunnel was 700 meters long and 18 meters deep, and claimed to have been supplied with electricity from UNRWA headquarters.
In response, UNRWA Director-General Lazzarini said on social media, ``The staff left the headquarters in October last year. We are not aware of any activities that may have taken place at the headquarters since then.''