Mortar attack injures 10 Israeli soldiers at Rafah crossing in southern Gaza

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Ten Israeli soldiers were injured in a mortar attack at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Israeli Army Radio.

Three soldiers were in serious condition, the broadcaster said.

The Israeli army seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt on May 7, a vital route for humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said that nearly 360,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since Israel launched its attack on Rafah last week.

Nearly 35,100 Palestinians have been killed and over 78,800 others injured in a brutal Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, 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 (ICJ). An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in Gaza, ordering it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar