Israeli airstrikes result in deaths, injuries in Rafah despite UN court order to halt military operations in city

By Moahmmed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Several Palestinians were killed and injured Saturday following Israeli airstrikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

A warplane targeted a gathering of civilians in the Shaboura refugee camp in central Rafah.

Other Israeli warplanes bombed several houses in downtown Rafah and carried out airstrikes on agricultural lands in the area, said the correspondent.

In another escalation of the attack on Rafah, an Anadolu reported that Israeli artillery targeted an apartment in the Al-Fayrouz residential tower in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood west of the city, injuring three Palestinians -- the severity of whose injuries could not be immediately determined.

Meanwhile, Israeli quadcopter drones fired toward the Shaboura camp, injuring a citizen, medical sources told Anadolu.

Israel has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians since a cross-border attack by Hamas that claimed less than 1,200 lives with 250 others taken as hostages.

Some of the captives were released in exchange for a brief truce and release of Palestinian prisoners in November.

More than seven months into the conflict, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has mandated Tel Aviv to prevent its forces from committing such acts, and ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza.

In its latest ruling on Friday, the UN court ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern city of Rafah, which it started on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala