Israeli forces carried out deadly air strikes on Gaza on Friday, shortly after US President Joe Biden criticized the military response to the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas as “excessive.”
Israel continued its bombing campaign as diplomats worked to salvage ceasefire talks, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a Hamas proposal that included the release of hostages held by the Palestinian group.
The United States is seeking a temporary halt in hostilities before Israel proceeds with a potential ground incursion into the southern city of Rafah. This city is of particular concern as it houses a significant portion of Gaza’s population, with over half of its 2.3 million residents seeking refuge near the border with Egypt.
Palestinian health officials said at least 15 people were massacred in the latest air strikes, including eight in Rafah, the last refuge for many Gazans displaced as Israeli’s offensive advanced southwards through the narrow coastal enclave.
A Palestinian freelance journalist, Salem El-Rayyes, living at a camp for displaced people, said children were among those slaughtered when an Israeli missile slammed into a house in an area nearby.
“They were asleep in the early hours of Friday around dawn,” he wrote on Facebook. “The explosion shook the ground beneath our feet, and the echoes of the sound still linger in our ears.”
He described how the bodies of the victims “propelled from the third floor before landing on the ground outside the building, on cars within the narrow alley, and in the vicinity of nearby houses.”
Israel did not immediately comment on the recent air strikes. It affirms that it takes measures to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas militants of hiding among civilians, including in school shelters and hospitals. Hamas has denied such allegations.