Regrets IDF Air Attack In Rafah Killed Civilians, Israeli Military Prosecutor Holds Investigation

JAKARTA - Israel's main military prosecutor regretted the casualties of civilians in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike in Rafah, south of Gaza, Palestine, saying it immediately launched an investigation.

Israeli airstrikes sparked a massive fire that killed 45 people in a refugee tent camp in Rafah, officials said Monday.

More than half of the deaths were women, children and parents, health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza said, adding the number of victims was likely to increase due to the large number of victims trapped in the fire being in critical condition and severe burns.

Israeli military prosecutor Major General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi called the airstrike "very serious" and said investigations were underway.

"IDF regrets any loss to non-combats during the war," Major General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi said at a conference on Monday.

Israel continued to carry out attacks on Rafah despite a UN high court decision on Friday ordering them to stop its attacks, arguing the court's decision gave them (militan, red) room to carry out military action there.

"The details of this incident are still under investigation, which we are committed to doing completely," said Major General Yerushalmi, quoted by The Times of Israel.

The Israeli military said the airstrikes were precise and based on appropriate intelligence information, managed to kill two senior commanders of the Hamas group.

On the other hand, Gaza Officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the target area of the attack was a refugee camp recently established near the warehouse of the United Nations Aid and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in northwest of Rafah.

Earlier on Sunday, eight rockets were intercepted after being fired from the Rafah area. A minister said it showed the need to continue operations against Hamas.