DOHA/QENA — An Israeli airstrike hit a United Nations-run civilian evacuation shelter in western Rafah on Thursday, killing at least 31 people — including 12 children — according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. At least 87 others were wounded in the strike, which drew immediate international condemnation and further frayed a fragile ceasefire that has held by a thread since April.
The Israel Defense Forces said its initial findings indicated the casualties were caused by a “secondary explosion” from an adjacent building used by militants to store weapons, and that the primary target was a known command-and-control site. The IDF said it was conducting a “further review” and expressed condolences to civilian casualties.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the images from the shelter “heartbreaking” but stopped short of directly condemning Israel, saying the United States was in contact with both parties. “We have seen the reports, we are obviously deeply concerned, and we want to see a full accounting,” Blinken told reporters in Brussels.
Qatar and Egypt jointly called for an emergency United Nations Security Council session. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday’s strike represented “a dangerous violation of international humanitarian law” and accused Israel of attempting to “sabotage” the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Doha.
Those negotiations, mediated by Qatar with Egyptian and Omani backing, have now collapsed for the second time this week. A Qatari official told Media Hook on condition of anonymity that mediators had presented a revised framework early Wednesday that had received preliminary acceptance from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority but was rejected by Israel within hours of Thursday’s strike. “The atmosphere has seriously deteriorated,” the official said.
The ceasefire, brokered in Doha on April 22 after six weeks of intensive shuttle diplomacy, has been repeatedly strained. Thursday’s strike marks the deadliest single incident since the agreement took effect, shattering a 12-day period in which both sides had largely held to the terms.
The UN Relief and Works Agency confirmed the shelter was operating as an officially designated civilian evacuation zone under agreement with Israel. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the facility had been “communicated to all parties” and was on no operational blacklist. “We are shocked and appalled,” Lazzarini wrote on social media. “Civilians must be protected under all circumstances.”
Separately, the IDF announced that Mohammed Odeh — the newly appointed head of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades military wing — was killed in an overnight airstrike in central Gaza. The IDF said Odeh was directly responsible for planning cross-border attacks during the latest escalation. Hamas has not confirmed Odeh’s death as of publication.
Oil prices surged more than 3 percent on the news before trimming gains as traders waited to assess whether Thursday’s violence would lead to a full breakdown of the ceasefire. Brent crude was last trading at $97.84 per barrel.
— Layla Hassan covers the Middle East and North Africa for Media Hook. Additional reporting by Doha bureau staff.