Hamas holds US President Joe Biden ‘fully responsible’ for Israel’s attack on Rafah, which killed dozens of displaced Palestinians.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel’s attack on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah, warning that the move would “complicate the ongoing mediation efforts” in the Gaza Strip.
The condemnation by the Gulf state – a central mediator between Israel and Hamas – described the Israeli attack as “a serious violation of international laws”.
“The Ministry expresses the State of Qatar’s concern that the bombardment would complicate the ongoing mediation efforts, and hinder reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners and detainees,” the statement said.
Qatar also called on the Israeli government to adhere to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) latest order to halt attacks on Rafah and “to prevent the commitment of a genocide”.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the State of Qatar’s firm position on the justice of the Palestinian cause, the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement concluded.
Israeli occupation forces carried out a massacre in Rafah on Sunday night where it burned alive dozens of internally displaced Palestinians that were sheltering inside tents.
At least 40 people have been killed and dozens of others injured, mostly women and children. The area was previously declared as a safe zone by Israel, according to Palestine news agency Wafa.
Disturbing footage and images on social media showed at least one decapitated body of a baby, and charred bodies being dragged away from the flaming wreckage.
Medics on the ground have also been scrambling to treat the wounded with little resources, against a backdrop of the complete collapse of the healthcare sector in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh described Israel’s attack as “a massacre that exceeds all boundaries”.
The Palestinian official demanded that the United States press its ally to halt the war and attacks on Rafah.
Separately, Hamas said that Israel carried out the attack in Rafah “in complete defiance, recklessness, and disregard” for the ICJ’s decision.
Hamas also held US President Joe Biden “in particular fully responsible for this massacre”.
“The Zionist entity would not have committed [the massacre] without American support and the green light for it to invade Rafah, despite its being crowded with displaced citizens,” Hamas said.
The latest bombardment of Rafah took place 20 days after Israeli forces seized the vital Egypt-Gaza Rafah crossing on May 6 under wider plans to fully invade the city in southern Gaza.
The crossing, which is the only exit point for many Palestinians, is also the main portal for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations which have been halted due to the Israeli invasion.
Rafah was already densely populated with more than 1.2 million internally displaced Palestinians who were forced to flee northern Gaza at the start of the war.
Since October 7, Israel has killed more than 36,000 people and decimated the Gaza Strip, creating a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Earlier this month, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani confirmed that mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas have reached “almost a status of a stalemate.”
“Right now we are almost at a status of a stalemate. Of course, what happened with Rafah has set us backwards,” he said on May 14 during the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF).
Sheikh Mohammed noted that there are fundamental differences between Hamas and Israel, with the former demanding a ceasefire and the latter limiting any deal to the release of captives.
“There is one party that wants to end the war and then talk about the hostages and there is another party who wants the hostages and wants to continue the war. As long as there is not any commonality between those two things it won’t get us to a result,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“There is no clarity on how to stop the war from the Israeli side, I don’t think they’re considering this as an option[…]there’s no clarity on what Gaza will look like after this,” he added.
