Saudi Arabia condemns Israel's 'continuous genocidal massacres' against Palestinians in Rafah

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Saudi Arabia on Wednesday strongly condemned what it described as Israel's "continuous genocidal massacres" against displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

At least 21 people were killed on Tuesday in Israeli shelling of a refugee tent encampment in al-Mawasi area west of Rafah, the Rafah Emergency Committee said.

It came after at least 45 civilians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli strike on a tent encampment in Tel al-Sultan on Sunday.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Israeli massacres against Palestinians continue "without deterrence by continuing to target the tents of defenseless Palestinian refugees in Rafah."

It held Israel "fully responsible for what is happening in Rafah and all across the occupied Palestinian territories."

The ministry stressed "the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities ... to stop the massacres against the Palestinian people and hold those responsible accountable."

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 following a Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

Nearly 36,100 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel’s incursion in Rafah, launched in early May, has forced 1 million people to flee the city.

It stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah.

Israeli forces are said to have reached the center of Rafah and seized control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarized buffer zone running along Gaza-Egypt border.