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No, Media, Israel Didn’t Strike a Refugee Camp in Rafah
Fire rages following an Israeli strike amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Reuters TV
An independent military investigation is underway to ascertain exactly what happened following an Israeli airstrike on two senior Hamas commanders in Rafah on Sunday night, which also led to a fire that killed a number of Gazan civilians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deaths as “tragic,” and said Israel had been working to protect civilians by evacuating one million Palestinians from Rafah. “Despite our efforts not to hurt them, there was a tragic mishap. We are investigating the incident. For us it’s a tragedy, for Hamas, it’s a strategy,” he said.
A US official reportedly said that the likely cause of the blaze was shrapnel from the strike hitting and igniting a fuel tank, with the fire then spreading to a nearby encampment.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military stated that it suspects munitions or another explosive substance, of which it was unaware, caused the secondary blast and fire.
The IDF also confirmed that the strike occurred outside a designated humanitarian zone.
“Strike on Rafah Refugee Camp”
Despite the evidence, several leading news outlets have suggested that Israel directly struck or targeted the encampment.
The Guardian accused Israel of carrying out a “deadly” airstrike on “on tents housing displaced Palestinians,” while The Los Angeles Times also claimed that the IDF had killed dozens in a “strike on a tent camp…”
As tragic as this incident was, Israel did not carry out an airstrike “on refugee tents.”
The IDF targeted senior Hamas terrorists outside of the designated humanitarian zone. Despite @guardian‘s headline, Israel does not deliberately target civilians.https://t.co/Gs1xSHcrbo pic.twitter.com/GPmjE9nHXe
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 28, 2024
Meanwhile, the Associated Press also cited “health officials” in Gaza, who claimed at least 45 people had been killed when a strike “hit a tent camp” and caused a large fire.
The BBC quoted the incendiary comments made by the Irish deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin, saying he had “condemned an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced Palestinians, describing it as ‘barbaric’.”
Like the AP, ABC News also referenced unverified Gaza health ministry figures without stating it is operated by Hamas.
Just wow. @ABC literally republishes the statement of a terrorist org. This isn’t verified info from an independent health ministry, it’s the unverified claims & propaganda of Hamas.
At least have the honesty to tell your readers where it came from.https://t.co/e5A0d4l2sP pic.twitter.com/KDDeBLoRPN
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 28, 2024
The New York Times implied malice on Israel’s part in a piece headlined, “Charred Bodies and Screams” which describes “scenes of horror after an airstrike at a camp.”
Every single civilian death is horrific. It still doesn’t mean Israel targets civilians.
Israel struck & killed two Hamas leaders. Right now, investigations are underway to understand what exactly led to the tragic civilian casualties.
Shame on you @nytimes for implying malice. pic.twitter.com/08BQA0pJIx
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 28, 2024
It was a deliberate choice by these media outlets to frame the tragic Rafah incident as an intentional Israeli attack on Palestinian civilians sheltering in a refugee encampment.
This is part of a recurring pattern, where these outlets prematurely — and without evidence — suggest that Israel is guilty of grave war crimes.
The media have a duty to get the facts right, and to report fairly and truthfully. In the context of war, where every piece of misreporting can have potentially devastating consequences, this duty becomes even more critical. Lives depend on it.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post No, Media, Israel Didn’t Strike a Refugee Camp in Rafah first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’
FILE PHOTO: Pope Leo XIV holds a Jubilee audience on the occasion of the Jubilee of Sport, at St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican June 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
Pope Leo on Sunday said the international community must strive to avoid war that risks opening an “irreparable abyss,” and that diplomacy should take the place of conflict.
US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites overnight, joining an Israeli assault in a major new escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself.
“Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” Pope Leo said during his weekly prayer with pilgrims.
“No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future. Let diplomacy silence the weapons, let nations chart their future with peace efforts, not with violence and bloody conflicts,” he added.
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population, especially in Gaza and other territories, risks being forgotten, where the need for adequate humanitarian support is becoming increasingly urgent,” Pope Leo said.
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El Al Says to Start Rescue Flights Out of Israel Starting on Monday, After Getting 25,000 Applications
FILE PHOTO: Aircraft belonging to Israel’s state carrier El Al and Israir among other airlines, are parked at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo
Israeli airline El Al said it would resume flights out of Tel Aviv airport on Monday, as the government began to allow limited “rescue” flights in the midst of the Middle East conflict and US bombing of Iran.
El Al said it had received 25,000 applications for flights out of Israel since it opened a web site for requests on Saturday, although government rules will limit flights to 50 passengers each, it added in a Sunday statement.
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US Urges China to Dissuade Iran from Closing Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Rubio’s comments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” show came after Iran’s Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas flows.
“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” said Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser.
“If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.”
Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment.
US officials said it “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. The strikes mark an escalation in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
Tehran has vowed to defend itself. Rubio on Sunday warned against retaliation, saying such an action would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.”
He added that the US is prepared to talk with Iran.
The post US Urges China to Dissuade Iran from Closing Strait of Hormuz first appeared on Algemeiner.com.