Libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie reminded Sen. Elizabeth Warren that she voted for a foreign aid bill that sent weapons to Israel, as the Massachusetts Democrat called the IDF’s offensive in Rafah “horrific.”
“The Israeli bombing of a refugee camp within a designated safe zone is horrific. Israel has a duty to protect innocent civilians and Palestinians seeking shelter in Rafah have nowhere safe to go,” Warren wrote on X.
‘Netanyahu’s attack on Rafah must stop. We need an immediate ceasefire.”
Massie, R-Ky., shot back: “Madam, you voted to send those bombs to Israel.”
Warren voted for a $95 billion foreign aid package that included $26 billion for Israel and Gaza. About $9 billion was earmarked for humanitarian aid in Gaza and more than $9 billion went to Israeli defense.
Massie opposed the package and signed off on a failed attempt to oust Chairman Mike Johnson over it.
Libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie reminded Sen. Elizabeth Warren that she voted for a foreign aid bill that sent weapons to Israel, while the Massachusetts Democrat called the IDF offensive in Rafah “horrific.”
Israel regretted that its bombings had killed civilians in a refugee camp in Rafah, but said its rockets had killed two senior Hamas leaders.
The blast and subsequent fires killed at least 45 people, including 23 women, children and the elderly, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. The ministry said 249 people were injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the civilian deaths were a “tragic accident.”
Netanyahu said the Israeli army has tried to minimize civilian deaths by asking Gaza residents to evacuate, but “despite our best efforts not to harm uninvolved civilians, we regret that a tragic incident occurred last night.” accident occurred.’
Accusing Hamas of hiding among the general population, he said: “For us, every uninvolved civilian who is injured is a tragedy. For Hamas it is a strategy. That’s the whole difference.’
The strike caused a fire that swept through the camp in the Tal Al-Sultan area of Rafah Governorate, destroying tents and shelters.
Images released by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed chaotic nighttime scenes of ambulances rushing to the attack site and evacuating the injured, including children.
When Palestinians cleared the site on Monday, only blackened metal sheets and charred planks remained, while tent shelters were all but destroyed.
The strike came after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its offensive on Rafah and officials sought to restart ceasefire negotiations.
It caused international outrage.
“The word tragic doesn’t even describe it,” Vice President Kamala Harris said of the strike.
“The devastating images following an IDF attack in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking,” a spokesperson for President Biden’s National Security Council said.
A person responds at the scene of an Israeli attack on a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024
Child is seen at the scene of an Israeli attack on a displaced persons camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024
Child looks at the rubble after Israel’s bombardment of tents in Rafah
“Israel has the right to go after Hamas, and we understand that this attack killed two key Hamas terrorists responsible for attacks on Israeli civilians. But as we have been clear, Israel must take every possible precaution to protect civilians. We are actively engaging the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by Israel’s latest attacks. “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,” he said on X.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the attack “an indefensible atrocity,” adding in a social media post that “it is long past time for the president to make good on his word and suspend military aid.” ‘
“Horrific and heartbreaking images emerged from Rafah last night,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “How long will the US stand by while the Israeli army slaughters and mutilates Palestinian babies?”
In addition, Israeli forces exchanged gunfire with Egyptian forces along their shared border, resulting in the death of at least one Egyptian soldier.
The IDF this afternoon reported a “shooting incident” at the border close to the Gaza crossing, adding that it discussed the matter with Egyptian authorities but did not reveal any further information.
‘A few hours ago there was a shooting incident at the Egyptian border. The incident is under investigation and discussions are ongoing with the Egyptians,” the army said in a statement this afternoon.
Cairo quickly confirmed the shooting when a military spokesman said authorities had opened an investigation into the incident.
“In Rafah, we have already evacuated approximately 1 million non-combatant residents and despite our best efforts not to harm non-combatants, unfortunately something tragically went wrong,” Netanyahu said in a speech in parliament after the Rafah bombing, over the din of opposition lawmakers. shout.
But the IDF is unlikely to withdraw from the Rafah offensive in southern Gaza, where millions of Palestinians fled when war broke out in the north.
Last weekend, Hamas launched rocket attacks on Tel Aviv from Rafah for the first time in four months, signaling the militant group’s continued ability to threaten Israel. All missiles were intercepted by air defenses.