Tel al-Sultan attack#Target of the attack

After evacuation orders were issued by Israel during the Gaza war, many areas of Gaza became depopulated, with refugees primarily traveling to Rafah. Rafah became dense and overcrowded, with over 1.4 million civilians sheltering in the area.{{cite web |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/140699 |title=ActionAid: Conditions in Rafah at breaking point, with over one million displaced people |work=wafa agency |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=21 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521195107/https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/140699 |url-status=live }} However, when Israel first invaded the city, it ordered the eastern neighborhoods evacuated. An estimated 950,000 civilians fled, going to other parts of southern Gaza designated as safe, including where the attack took place in western Rafah.{{cite web |title=Israel-Gaza live updates: Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-gaza-may/?id=110380947 |website=abcnews.go.com |publisher=ABC News |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=8 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608161509/https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-gaza-may/?id=110380947 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Wave of condemnation follows Israeli strikes on Rafah displacement camp |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/05/wave-condemnation-follows-israeli-strikes-rafah-displacement-camp |website=al-monitor.com |publisher=Al Monitor |access-date=9 August 2024 |archive-date=9 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809203705/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/05/wave-condemnation-follows-israeli-strikes-rafah-displacement-camp |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Fabian |first=Emanuel |date=20 May 2024 |title=IDF estimates 950,000 Gazans have evacuated from Rafah amid offensive |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-estimates-950000-gazans-have-evacuated-from-rafah-amid-offensive/ |access-date=21 May 2024 |work=The Times of Israel |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527134609/https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-estimates-950000-gazans-have-evacuated-from-rafah-amid-offensive/ |url-status=live }}

Two days before the attack, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt the Rafah offensive.{{cite web |title=ICJ orders Israel to halt Rafah operations that risk destruction of civilian population |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/icj-orders-israel-to-halt-rafah-operations-that-risk-destruction-of-civilian-population/ |work=The Times of Israel |first1=Jeremy |last1=Sharon |first2=Sam |last2=Sokol |date=24 May 2024 |access-date=25 May 2024 |archive-date=7 June 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240607161547/https://www.timesofisrael.com/icj-orders-israel-to-halt-rafah-operations-that-risk-destruction-of-civilian-population/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=27 May 2024 |title=Isolated Israel argues ICJ ruling leaves door open to Rafah offensive |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-icj-order-halt-rafah-offensive-what-next-rcna154102 |work=NBC News |first=Freddie |last=Clayton |language=en |quote="It was widely viewed as an unambiguous statement: The top United Nations court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah" |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529194718/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-icj-order-halt-rafah-offensive-what-next-rcna154102 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=EU urges Israel to accept ICJ order to halt Rafah offensive {{!}} NHK WORLD-JAPAN News |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240527_12/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=NHK WORLD |language=en |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613003527/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240527_12/ |url-status=live }} However, Israel interpreted the order as merely to comply with international law, not necessarily stop the offensive, and continued. The Euro-Med Monitor reported that in the 48 hours since the order was issued, Israel had launched over 60 airstrikes in the city.{{Cite web |date=26 May 2024 |title=Gaza: After ICJ order to halt attacks on Rafah, Israel launches over 60 air raids on the city in 48 hours |url=https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6348 |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205816/https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6348 |url-status=live }} The attack came shortly after Hamas launched rockets at Tel Aviv, the first salvo fired at the city since approximately late January 2024.{{Cite web |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-29-2024 |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en |archive-date=3 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403101157/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-29-2024 |url-status=live }} The IDF said eight rockets were fired from the Rafah area, though were intercepted.{{Cite web |last=Ebrahim |first=Nadeen |date=27 May 2024 |title=At least 45 killed in Israeli strike on camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/27/middleeast/gaza-rafah-displaced-people-camp-israel-strike-mime-intl/index.html |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527234533/https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/27/middleeast/gaza-rafah-displaced-people-camp-israel-strike-mime-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}

Many sources reported that the area that Israel attacked had previously been designated by Israel as a "safe zone".{{cite news |title=Dozens killed and wounded after explosions at Gaza 'safe-zone' camp |url=https://www.ft.com/content/eeb22b28-cbb2-443b-83ef-588b3254772d |work=www.ft.com |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527140222/https://www.ft.com/content/eeb22b28-cbb2-443b-83ef-588b3254772d |url-status=live }} CBC News showed pictures of Israeli leaflets that read:

For your safety, the Israeli Defence Force is asking you to leave these areas immediately and to go to known shelters in Deir el Balah or the humanitarian area in Tel al-Sultan through Beach Road. And don't blame us after we warned you.{{cite news |last1=Schmunk |first1=Rhianna |title=Israel's deadly attack on tent camp confirms 'there is no safety' in Gaza, survivors say |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rafah-tent-fire-gaza-israel-war-1.7215999 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=11 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911132035/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rafah-tent-fire-gaza-israel-war-1.7215999 |url-status=live }}

NPR reported that Israeli leaflets urging civilians to evacuate to Tel al-Sultan had been dropped one week before the bombing.{{cite news |last1=Al-Shalchi |first1=Hadeel |title=Israeli strikes hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/05/27/nx-s1-4982670/israeli-strikes-hit-tents-for-displaced-people-in-the-southern-gaza-city-of-rafah |publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=1 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901160615/https://www.npr.org/2024/05/27/nx-s1-4982670/israeli-strikes-hit-tents-for-displaced-people-in-the-southern-gaza-city-of-rafah |url-status=live }} Witnesses speaking to Agence France Press confirmed they only came to Tel al-Sultan on instructions from IDF leaflets.{{cite news |title=Devastation after Israeli strike on Rafah camp – Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/05/devastation-after-israeli-strike-rafah-camp |work=Al-Monitor |date=27 May 2024 |language=en |quote="They dropped leaflets asking us to go to the humanitarian zone in Tal al-Sultan, so we complied and came here," Abu Muhammad, who was displaced from north Gaza five months ago, told AFP." |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=1 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901152532/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/05/devastation-after-israeli-strike-rafah-camp |url-status=live }} Abed Mohammed Al-Attar, whose family would later be killed in the attack, said the Israeli forces had told residents that this area was a safe zone.{{cite news |title=Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts international outcry |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/israeli-attack-on-rafah-tent-camp-kills-45%2c-prompts-international-outcry/78803317 |work=SWI swissinfo.ch |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=28 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728231634/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/israeli-attack-on-rafah-tent-camp-kills-45,-prompts-international-outcry/78803317 |url-status=live }} The Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated that the location had been designated by Israel as a "humanitarian area" and it was not included in areas that Israel's military ordered evacuated earlier this month.{{Cite web |date=26 May 2024 |title=Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrike kills 22 in Rafah |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/aid-trucks-begin-entering-gaza-agreement-egypt-bypass-110569802 |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=ABC News |archive-date=10 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610033649/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/aid-trucks-begin-entering-gaza-agreement-egypt-bypass-110569802 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=26 May 2024 |title=Israeli airstrike kills 35 in Rafah after Hamas launches rockets at Tel Aviv |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/26/hamas-rocket-attack-tel-aviv-israel-gaza |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=The Guardian |first=Bethan |last=McKernan |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205823/https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/26/hamas-rocket-attack-tel-aviv-israel-gaza |url-status=live }}

In addition to being designated as a safe zone, there was a question of whether the attack also fell inside the "al-Mawasi humanitarian zone" as announced by Israel. Under the original boundaries, as announced by Israel on 6 December 2023, the attack took place inside the zone.{{cite news |title=Airstrike in Tel Al-sultan: Israel Attacks Its Own 'Humanitarian Zones' |url=https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/airstrike-in-tel-al-sultan-israel-attacks-its-own-humanitarian-zones |work=forensic-architecture.org |archive-date=7 October 2024 |access-date=9 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007211956/https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/airstrike-in-tel-al-sultan-israel-attacks-its-own-humanitarian-zones |url-status=live }} On 6 May, Israel changed the boundaries of this zone. Under the new boundaries, the attack took place outside the humanitarian zone, a fact that was emphasized by the IDF on 27 May.{{Cite news |date=27 May 2024 |title=IDF opens probe into Rafah strike, says steps were taken to prevent civilian deaths |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-top-lawyer-says-very-grave-rafah-incident-being-investigated/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |work=The Times of Israel |first=Emanuel |last=Fabian |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529011234/https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-top-lawyer-says-very-grave-rafah-incident-being-investigated/amp/ |url-status=live }} However, Forensic Architecture states that the 6 May change was not effectively communicated to Gazans, including those who had already sought refuge there. Satellite imagery confirmed that new tents continued to be built in this area from 6 to 26 May, indicating Palestinian civilians were unaware that Israel had changed the zone's borders.

On the night of 26 May, Israeli fighter jets struck the "Kuwaiti Peace" tent camp in Tel al-Sultan.{{cite web |title=First Thing: deadly Israeli airstrike on refugee tents in Rafah leaves aid groups 'horrified' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/27/first-thing-deadly-israeli-airstrike-on-refugee-tents-in-rafa-leaves-aid-groups-horrified |work=The Guardian |first=Jem |last=Bartholomew |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205710/https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/27/first-thing-deadly-israeli-airstrike-on-refugee-tents-in-rafa-leaves-aid-groups-horrified |url-status=live }} The camp was noted to be {{Convert|200|m}} from the largest UNRWA humanitarian aid storage warehouse in the Gaza Strip.{{Cite web |date=26 May 2024 |title=At least 35 killed in Israeli airstrike on displaced persons camp in Rafah, health ministry says, hours after Hamas fired rockets into Israel – CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-rockets-central-israel-gaza-strip-sirens/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US |archive-date=15 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615040306/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-rockets-central-israel-gaza-strip-sirens/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Beaule |first=Victoria |date=26 May 2024 |title=Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-gaza-may/death-toll-in-rafah-airstrike-rises-to-50-action-aid-uk-110576958?id=110380947 |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617135807/https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-gaza-may/death-toll-in-rafah-airstrike-rises-to-50-action-aid-uk-110576958?id=110380947 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Rasheed |first=Zaheena |title='People burned alive' as Israel attacks designated safe zone in Rafah |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240528044828/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings |url-status=live }} Multiple people were killed and injured in the initial explosion. Witnesses reported "a deadly hail of shrapnel, then the sound of screaming". A dead woman was later found with shrapnel in her lungs and heart.

A witness said that he heard an explosion, walked out of his house, and saw smoke in a nearby street. Survivors of the attack said it "burned people alive" and destroyed an entire block.{{cite web |title=Israel's war on Gaza updates: 'More than 30' killed in Rafah strike |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/26/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-hamas-claims-capture-of-israeli-troops |website=aljazeera.com |publisher=Aljazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526235140/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/26/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-hamas-claims-capture-of-israeli-troops |url-status=live }} The Palestine Red Crescent Society said civilians were trapped in the flames. A video verified by NBC News showed Palestinians screaming for help in tents "engulfed by flames" with civil defense crews attempting to stop the fire and rescue people. Other videos displayed burnt corpses, including one of a decapitated child. Paramedics later retrieved these bodies.{{cite web |title='The sound was terrifying': Witnesses recount chaotic scenes during deadly strikes on Rafah camp |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240527-gaza-officials-say-40-killed-as-israeli-strikes-set-tents-ablaze |website=France24 |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604204909/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240527-gaza-officials-say-40-killed-as-israeli-strikes-set-tents-ablaze |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title={{as written|Childre|ns' [sic]}} 'bodies turned into fragments' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929124 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605223941/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929124 |url-status=live }}

It was the deadliest incident of the Rafah offensive.{{cite web |title=White House assessing if Israel violated "red line" with Rafah strike |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/05/27/rafah-tent-camp-strike-biden-israel-red-line |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530135257/https://www.axios.com/2024/05/27/rafah-tent-camp-strike-biden-israel-red-line |archive-date=30 May 2024 |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=axios.com |date=27 May 2024 |publisher=Axios }} The attack was described as a massacre by multiple media outlets,{{cite news |title=World reacts with horror after massacre in Rafah, emergency UN meeting called |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/05/28/world-reacts-with-horror-after-massacre-in-rafah-emergency-un-meeting-called_6672854_4.html |newspaper=Le Monde.fr |date=28 May 2024 |publisher=Le Monde |access-date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=25 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725062856/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/05/28/world-reacts-with-horror-after-massacre-in-rafah-emergency-un-meeting-called_6672854_4.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Pita |first1=Antonio |title=Israeli bombing kills at least 45 in Rafah displaced persons camp |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-27/israeli-bombing-kills-at-least-45-in-rafah-displaced-persons-camp.html |access-date=9 June 2024 |work=EL PAÍS English |date=27 May 2024 |language=en-us |archive-date=6 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606150729/https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-27/israeli-bombing-kills-at-least-45-in-rafah-displaced-persons-camp.html |url-status=live }} some of whom referred to it as the Rafah tent massacre{{efn|Non-exhaustive list of sources describing the event as "Rafah tent massacre":{{Cite news |last1=Bannoura |first1=Sara |last2=Liao |first2=Anya |last3=Engel |first3=Olivia |date=27 June 2024 |title=Pride and Genocide Don't Mix |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/st-louis-pride-boeing-gaza/ |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en-US |issn=0027-8378 }}{{Cite web |date=28 May 2024 |title=International Outrage Over Israel's Rafah Tent Massacre Has Not Slowed IDF Offensive |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/international-outrage-israel-rafah-tent-massacre-gaza_n_66565947e4b022987c320189 |access-date=27 October 2024 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en }}{{Cite web |last=M.I |title=Calling for an Emergency Session of the Security Council on the Gaza crisis - Letter from the State of Palestine - (A/ES-10/999-S/2024/447) |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/letter-sop-9jun24/ |access-date=27 October 2024 |website=Question of Palestine |language=en-US }}{{Cite news |last=Kouddous |first=Shrouq Aila, Sharif Abdel |date=14 June 2024 |title=These "Tent Massacre" Survivors Couldn't Afford to Leave Rafah. The Next Israeli Attack Nearly Wiped Their Family Out. |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/06/14/rafah-tent-massacre-israel-gaza/ |access-date=20 October 2024 |work=The Intercept |language=en-US |archive-date=10 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241110030800/https://theintercept.com/2024/06/14/rafah-tent-massacre-israel-gaza/ |url-status=live }}}} or the tent massacre.{{cite web |title=Josep Borrell: Was he a thorn in the side of Netanyahu and his allies? |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/politics/longform/2024/10/3/%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%85 |website=aljazeera.net |publisher=Aljazeera Arabic |access-date=27 October 2024 |quote=Palestinian refugees in Rafah after the tent massacre in which 30 of them were killed |archive-date=9 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009111106/https://www.aljazeera.net/politics/longform/2024/10/3/%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%85 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=INSIDE THE NUSEIRAT MASSACRE: THIS IS THE CARNAGE I SAW DURING ISRAEL'S HOSTAGE RESCUE |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/06/10/nuseirat-massacre-israel-hostage-rescue-gaza/ |website=theintercept.com |date=10 June 2024 |publisher=The Intercept |access-date=27 October 2024 |quote=The Tel al-Sultan camp in Rafah would become the site of what is now known as the "tent massacre" — named for the very shelters Abu Nasser left behind. |archive-date=18 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618162623/https://theintercept.com/2024/06/10/nuseirat-massacre-israel-hostage-rescue-gaza/ |url-status=live }}{{efn|Arabic: مجزرة الخيم}} Israel stated it had targeted a Hamas compound and killed two senior Hamas commanders: the West Bank Chief of Staff Yassin Rabia and senior official Khaled Nagar, "in accordance with international law". John Kirby stated that Hamas confirmed the deaths of the two commanders.{{cite news |last=Hunnicutt |first=Trevor |date=28 May 2024 |title=US says latest Rafah deaths won't change Israel policy, military aid |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-vp-harris-says-israels-deadly-strike-rafah-was-beyond-tragic-2024-05-28/ |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=Reuters }} However, witnesses speaking to Mondoweiss and CNN said that no militants were found in the camp.{{cite news |author1=Tareq El Helou |author2=Abeer Salman |author3=Zeena Saifi |title="They kept bleeding until they died." Residents of Tal al-Sultan camp recount horror of Israeli strike |url=https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-28-24#h_a0d097f6a3aa99aa33175ff8a43f956e |work=CNN |date=28 May 2024 |language=en |quote="All those that were killed were civilians. No one was a fighter," he said. |access-date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529035757/https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-28-24/h_a0d097f6a3aa99aa33175ff8a43f956e |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Hajjaj |first1=Tareq S. |title=Rafah massacre: how Israel bombs displaced Gazans in their tents |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2024/05/rafah-massacre-how-israel-bombs-displaced-gazans-in-their-tents/ |work=Mondoweiss |date=27 May 2024 |quote="We did not find anything," he adds. "There was nothing that would require bombing. All we found were dismembered children, charred bodies, and scattered organs. We put them in blankets and took them out." |access-date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529045403/https://mondoweiss.net/2024/05/rafah-massacre-how-israel-bombs-displaced-gazans-in-their-tents/ |url-status=live }}

The Gaza Health Ministry (GHM), stated the attack killed at least 45 people, and ActionAid UK said it killed 50. The GHM said that among the fatalities were at least 12 women, eight children, and three elderly.{{Cite web |date=27 May 2024 |title=Netanyahu says deadly Israeli strike in Rafah was the result of a 'tragic mishap' |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-05-27-2024-7b743a848ef8bfbe69a9659a4a5dd047 |access-date=31 May 2024 |website=AP News |first1=Tia |last1=Goldenberg |first2=Melanie |last2=Lidman |first3=Samy |last3=Magdy |language=en |archive-date=27 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927032627/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-05-27-2024-7b743a848ef8bfbe69a9659a4a5dd047 |url-status=live }} Doctors Without Borders said that dozens of civilians were injured,{{cite web |title=Israel strikes Rafah as pressure mounts over war in Gaza |url=https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-26-24/index.html |website=cnn.com |date=26 May 2024 |publisher=CNN |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205711/https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-26-24/index.html |url-status=live }} with the GHM eventually confirming 65 injuries.{{cite web |title='No longer justifiable': Israel faces international condemnation for strike in Rafah |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-longer-justifiable-israel-faces-international-condemnation-for-strike-in-rafah/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528142241/https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-longer-justifiable-israel-faces-international-condemnation-for-strike-in-rafah/ |url-status=live }} It later raised the number of injuries to over 200. Victims of the attack were rushed to the Emirati Hospital,{{cite web |title=At least 35 killed in Israeli airstrike on displaced persons camp in Rafah, health ministry says, hours after Hamas fired rockets into Israel |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-rockets-central-israel-gaza-strip-sirens/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=cbsnews.com |publisher=CBS News |archive-date=15 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615040306/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-rockets-central-israel-gaza-strip-sirens/ |url-status=live }} but the GHM said that Rafah hospitals didn't have enough resources to deal with the number of injured people. The only hospital in Rafah had eight beds and no intensive care units.{{cite web |last1=Khoudary |first1=Hind |title=Medical centres in Rafah not capable of treating all those wounded in latest Israeli attack |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928336 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=5 June 2024 }}

The attack drew multiple independent investigations and analyses from media outlets and military analysts. Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and others concluded that Israel deliberately targeted civilians in the attack. Israel also investigated the incident, saying it was a "tragic mishap".{{cite web |title=Deadly strike on Rafah a tragic mishap, Netanyahu says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjjj26d0eqxo |website=bbc.com |date=28 May 2024 |publisher=BBC |access-date=16 November 2024 |archive-date=29 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241129103110/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjjj26d0eqxo |url-status=live }} A panel of UN experts said Israel bears responsibility for its actions and calling it a "mistake" after the fact does not make the attack legal.{{Cite web |date=29 April 2024 |title=UN experts outraged by Israeli strikes on civilians sheltering in Rafah camps |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/05/un-experts-outraged-israeli-strikes-civilians-sheltering-rafah-camps }} The experts said the Israeli attack was both indiscriminate and disproportionate.

Israel said the target of the attack was a "Hamas compound" with two senior Hamas officials, whom it identified as Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar.{{cite news |last1=Blair |first1=Alex |title=Medical outcry over fatal Israeli airstrike on Rafah tent camp |url=https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/medical-outcry-over-fatal-israeli-airstrike-on-rafah-tent-camp/?cf-view |work=Medical Device Network |date=28 May 2024 |access-date=9 June 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205816/https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/medical-outcry-over-fatal-israeli-airstrike-on-rafah-tent-camp/ |url-status=live }} The IDF said they believed "there were no civilians" in the compound.{{Cite news |last1=Kubovich |first1=Yaniv |last2=Scharf |first2=Avi |date=3 June 2024 |title=Bad planning, poor intel: How Israel struck crowded Rafah refugee camp, killing dozens |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-06-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/bad-planning-and-intel-how-israel-struck-crowded-rafah-refugee-camp-killing-dozens/0000018f-d90e-d673-ab8f-ffcef88d0000 |access-date=4 June 2024 |work=Haaretz |language=en |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240603045618/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-06-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/bad-planning-and-intel-how-israel-struck-crowded-rafah-refugee-camp-killing-dozens/0000018f-d90e-d673-ab8f-ffcef88d0000 |url-status=live }} IDF had earlier released surveillance footage that showed four people standing outside the structure the IDF said they targeted, raising questions on whether they knew of civilians nearby and accepted them as collateral damage. Israeli newspaper Haaretz stated the IDF struck a "dense" area.

Satellite image analysis by India Today located the site of the airstrike to "Kuwait Peace Camp", leading the newspaper to conclude "satellite images show Israel targeting Rafah refugee camps".{{cite news |last1=Saha |first1=Bidisha |date=28 May 2024 |title=No safe zone : Satellite images show Israel targeting Rafah refugee camps |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/satellite-images-show-israel-targeting-rafah-refugee-camps-gaza-2544952-2024-05-28 |work=India Today |language=en }} The Washington Post analyzed satellite imagery and found "more than a dozen tent-like structures" around the tin structures targeted.{{Cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Cate |last2=Kelly |first2=Meg |last3=Fahim |first3=Kareem |last4=Hudson |first4=John |date=31 May 2024 |title=Experts say Israel used U.S.-made bomb in deadly Rafah strike |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/29/rafah-strike-us-munition-israel/ |access-date=4 June 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530061443/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/29/rafah-strike-us-munition-israel/ |url-status=live }} The Guardian located the attack to the "edge of rows of tents" of the Kuwaiti camp, and quoted a resident who said this location was "a medical point surrounded by a lot of tents, in an area with more than 4,000 people". A New York Times investigation concluded that Israel directly struck the camp, saying the metal structures targeted were part of the camp and intended for civilian use. In June, NBC News said that analysis of the attack and interviews with survivors indicated that Israeli commanders should have known there were civilians in the area of the strike.{{cite web |title=Fire raging, blood everywhere: What we know about Israeli strike on a tent camp in Rafah |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-airstrike-gaza-family-rafah-wiped-out-rcna154877 |website=nbcnews.com |date=11 June 2024 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=9 August 2024 |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074750/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-airstrike-gaza-family-rafah-wiped-out-rcna154877 |url-status=live }} Al Jazeera's fact checking agency concluded the strike deliberately targeted the camp.{{Cite web |title='Heinous massacre': Israel's attack on Rafah tent camp widely condemned |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/heinous-massacre-israels-attacks-on-rafah-tent-camp-widely-condemned |access-date=1 June 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |quote=Palestinian witnesses and Al Jazeera's fact-checking agency Sanad said the camp sheltering civilians in Rafah's Tal as-Sultan area was deliberately targeted. |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527161706/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/heinous-massacre-israels-attacks-on-rafah-tent-camp-widely-condemned |url-status=live }} The Palestinian Authority,{{Cite news |title=Presidential spokesman: Israel's deliberate targeting of displaced persons' tents in Rafah exceeds all boundaries |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/144467 |website=english.wafa.ps |publisher=WAFA |access-date=25 August 2024 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527004511/https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/144467 |url-status=live }} Egypt,{{Cite news |title=Security Council Set to Meet Over Deadly Rafah Strike |url=https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5024782-security-council-set-meet-over-deadly-rafah-strike%C2%A0 |quote=Egypt deplored what it called the "targeting of defenseless civilians" |access-date=1 June 2024 |archive-date=1 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601140814/https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5024782-security-council-set-meet-over-deadly-rafah-strike%C2%A0 |url-status=live }} witnesses and multiple humanitarian groups also said Israel deliberately targeted the refugee camp.{{cite web |title=First Thing: deadly Israeli airstrike on refugee tents in Rafah leaves aid groups 'horrified' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/27/first-thing-deadly-israeli-airstrike-on-refugee-tents-in-rafa-leaves-aid-groups-horrified |work=The Guardian |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205710/https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/27/first-thing-deadly-israeli-airstrike-on-refugee-tents-in-rafa-leaves-aid-groups-horrified |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=30 May 2024 |title=Carnage in Tal Al-Sultan camp: States supporting Israel's military operations are complicit in the massacre of civilians in Rafah, Gaza |url=https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/carnage-in-tal-al-sultan-camp-states-supporting-israels-military-operations-are-complicit-in-the-massacre-of-civilians-in-rafah-gaza/ |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=Doctors Without Borders |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530192114/https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/carnage-in-tal-al-sultan-camp-states-supporting-israels-military-operations-are-complicit-in-the-massacre-of-civilians-in-rafah-gaza/ |url-status=live }}

An investigation by Amnesty International found that Yassin Rabia, commander Khuweiled Ramadan, and at least two other Hamas militants were killed, while Khaled Nagar was only injured. It stated that, "Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were located in the internally-displaced persons’ camp, a location which displaced people believed was a designated 'humanitarian zone', with fighters knowingly endangering the lives of civilians." However, Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director of Amnesty, noted that "The Israeli military would have been fully aware that the use of bombs that project deadly shrapnel across hundreds of metres and unguided tank shells would kill and injure a large number of civilians sheltering in overcrowded settings lacking protection."

File:Boeing GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb.jpg bomb, similar to the one used in the attack]]

Analyses of video footage by The New York Times and CNN showed that the munition was a variant on the US-made precision guided GBU-39 bomb (sometimes called a missile),{{cite web |date=29 May 2024 |title=Israel Used U.S.-Made Bombs in Strike That Killed Dozens Near Rafah |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/israel-us-rafah-bombs.html |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529133517/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/israel-us-rafah-bombs.html |url-status=live }} though the exact variant was unclear.{{cite news |last1=Goodwin |first1=Allegra |last2=Schmitz |first2=Avery |last3=Magramo |first3=Kathleen |date=29 May 2024 |title=US-made munitions used in deadly strike on Rafah tent camp, CNN analysis shows |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/middleeast/gaza-us-munitions-rafah-strike-analysis-intl-hnk/index.html |work=CNN |language=en |access-date=30 May 2024 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530040731/https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/middleeast/gaza-us-munitions-rafah-strike-analysis-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }} The GBU-39 is a {{Convert|250|lb|kg}} bomb with an explosive weight of 17 kilograms (37 lb).{{Cite news |title=A Small American Bomb Killing Palestinians by the Dozen in Gaza |work=The New York Times |date=8 June 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/08/world/middleeast/us-israel-bomb-gbu39-gaza.html |last1=Jakes |first1=Lara |archive-date=14 November 2024 |access-date=14 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114001823/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/08/world/middleeast/us-israel-bomb-gbu39-gaza.html |url-status=live }} Israel said it fired two missiles equipped with {{Convert|17|kg}} of explosives each. Mark Cancian, a Marine Corps Reserves colonel, said the large debris field indicated the bombs appear to be programmed to detonate in the air before impact. This decision by the IDF would increase the probability that the targets were killed but it would also maximize area damage and risk unintended deaths.

Israel stated the use of precision munitions was as an effort to minimize civilian casualties. The 250-lb GBU-39 is specifically designed to minimize collateral damage in urban and densely populated areas.{{Cite web |title=Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb Positioned to Change the Game |url=https://www.saab.com/markets/united-states/us-newsroom/stories/2023/ground-launched-small-diameter-bomb-positioned-to-change-the-game |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Start |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Focused Lethality |url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1208lethality/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Air & Space Forces Magazine |language=en-US}} It produces less collateral damage than the 2,000 lb bombs Israel had been previously using in the bombing of the Gaza Strip. The Biden administration had pushed Israel away from using 2,000 lbs and towards using more 250-lb precision ones. But even smaller and precision-guided munitions like GBU-39 can inflict "severe civilian casualties" if used improperly. The blast radius of the GBU-39 is cited as 26 feet,{{Cite report |url=https://www.ausairpower.net/APA-SDB.html |title=Boeing GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb I / Raytheon GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II |last=Kopp |first=Carlo |date=2007-01-28 |publisher=Air Power Australia |issue=APA-TR-2007-0106 |pages=1–1}} though shrapnel from the bomb shell is capable of travelling as far as {{Convert|2000|ft|m}}.

USAF sergeant Wes J. Bryant said the munition is not meant to be near civilian encampments and the US military would not have used the bomb given that civilians were in the "effects radius".{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Cate |last2=Kelly |first2=Meg |last3=Fahim |first3=Kareem |last4=Hudson |first4=John |date=29 May 2024 |title=Experts say Israel used U.S.-made bomb in deadly Rafah strike |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/29/rafah-strike-us-munition-israel/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530061443/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/29/rafah-strike-us-munition-israel/ |archive-date=30 May 2024 |access-date=30 May 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post }} According to Bryant, Israeli usage in a densely populated civilian area indicated "either an unwillingness or inability to effectively safeguard civilians". Trevor Ball, a United States Army explosives technician, said the bombs' fragments can travel up to 600 meters, concluding "so that just doesn't check out if they're trying to limit casualties".{{Cite web |date=30 May 2024 |title=Israel could have used smaller weapons against Hamas to avoid deaths in Gaza tent fire, experts say |url=https://apnews.com/article/bomb-rafah-civilians-israel-us-ada219d17926a14ca8c179338d53d109 |access-date=4 June 2024 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604214401/https://apnews.com/article/bomb-rafah-civilians-israel-us-ada219d17926a14ca8c179338d53d109 |url-status=live }} Amnesty International stated that, given the large kill radius of the GBU-39 bomb, its usage in a densely populated civilian area constituted an indiscriminate attack, and therefore should be investigated as a war crime. It added that "the Israeli military is likely to have failed to take all feasible precautions" to protect civilians.{{Cite web |title=Gaza: Israeli attacks on two displaced persons' camps in Rafah should be investigated as war crimes |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/gaza-israeli-attacks-two-displaced-persons-camps-rafah-should-be-investigated-war |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en |archive-date=16 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241116144704/https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/gaza-israeli-attacks-two-displaced-persons-camps-rafah-should-be-investigated-war |url-status=live }}

Many of those killed were burned alive by the fire that ensued. The IDF said the fire was "unexpected", adding "[o]ur munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size." Frederic Gras, a French munitions analyst, questioned this reasoning, arguing "any explosion starts a fire as soon as flammable products are in the vicinity."{{Cite news |last1=Stein |first1=Robin |last2=Triebert |first2=Christiaan |last3=Willis |first3=Haley |date=29 May 2024 |title=Israel Used U.S.-Made Bombs in Strike That Killed Dozens in Rafah |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/israel-us-rafah-bombs.html |access-date=4 June 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007211956/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/israel-us-rafah-bombs.html |url-status=live }} Likewise, a U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician said "a bomb of any size" is capable of starting a fire, as explosives release a lot of heat that can cause materials found in camps to catch on fire.{{cite news |last1=Ott |first1=Haley |last2=al-Ghoul |first2=Marwan |last3=Lyons |first3=Emmet |title=U.S.-made bomb used in Israeli strike on Rafah that killed dozens, munitions experts say - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-made-bomb-israeli-strike-rafah-munitions-experts-say/ |work=www.cbsnews.com |date=29 May 2024 |access-date=12 June 2024 |archive-date=12 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612072345/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-made-bomb-israeli-strike-rafah-munitions-experts-say/ |url-status=live }} Multiple sources pointed out that refugee camps typically contain flammable material, such as cooking gas canisters which could have been ignited by the airstrike.{{cite news |last1=Tantesh |first1=Malak A. |last2=Graham-Harrison |first2=Emma |date=29 May 2024 |title='Bodies everywhere': the horrors of Israel's strike on a Rafah camp |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/29/bodies-everywhere-people-describe-horror-israeli-strike-rafah-camp |work=The Guardian |access-date=30 May 2024 |archive-date=8 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608161520/https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/29/bodies-everywhere-people-describe-horror-israeli-strike-rafah-camp |url-status=live }} Amnesty International determined the likely cause of the fire was cooking fuel stored in the tent camp.

On 27 May, Israeli officials initially told their American counterparts that they believed the fire was caused by shrapnel from the strike igniting a nearby fuel tank.{{cite news |last=Wang |first=Selina |date=May 27, 2024 |title=Israel strike hits fuel tank, causing large fire: US official |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas-war-updates/israel-strike-hits-fuel-tank-causing-large-fire-us-official-110589724?id=110580308&entryId=110589724 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821185120/https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas-war-updates/israel-strike-hits-fuel-tank-causing-large-fire-us-official-110589724?id=110580308&entryId=110589724 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |access-date=21 August 2024 |work=ABC News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/shrapnel-from-israeli-strike-may-have-ignited-fuel-tank-near-rafah-tents-report/|title=Shrapnel from Israeli strike may have ignited fuel tank near Rafah tents — report|first=ToI|last=Staff|website=www.timesofisrael.com}} The same day, an unnamed Gazan narrator said the explosion was caused by a "Hamas jeep loaded with weapons".{{cite news |title=FIRST READING: Canada (again) endorses a Hamas report without waiting for evidence |url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canada-again-endorses-a-hamas-report-without-waiting-for-evidence |access-date=12 June 2024 |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074241/https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canada-again-endorses-a-hamas-report-without-waiting-for-evidence |url-status=live }} Later, the IDF suggested that a militant warehouse containing ammunition or "some other material" in the area caused the fire. It also released an Arabic phone call, supposedly made by Hamas, in which the speakers say that the Israeli missile was not responsible for the fire, that the fire was caused by secondary explosions, and the secondary explosions came from an ammunition warehouse.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-hidden-store-of-terror-munitions-may-have-caused-deadly-rafah-blaze/|title=IDF says hidden store of terror munitions may have caused deadly Rafah blaze|first=Emanuel |last=Fabian|website=www.timesofisrael.com}} However, James Cavanaugh, who worked at the ATF, said the fire did not indicate "some giant stash that exploded."{{cite news |title=Fire raging, blood everywhere: What really we know about Israeli strike on a tent camp in Rafah |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-airstrike-gaza-family-rafah-wiped-out-rcna154877 |work=NBC News |date=11 June 2024 |language=en |access-date=12 June 2024 |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074750/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-airstrike-gaza-family-rafah-wiped-out-rcna154877 |url-status=live }} The New York Times reviewed numerous videos and did not find evidence of a significant secondary explosion.{{cite web |date=14 June 2024 |title=Carnage and Contradiction: Examining a Deadly Strike in Rafah |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/world/europe/carnage-and-contradiction-examining-a-deadly-strike-in-rafah.html |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=The New York Times |quote=Israel struck again, dropping two 250-pound bombs on temporary structures in the camp.", "The Times investigation found that Israel bombed targets inside a camp that had existed for months, sheltering hundreds of people displaced by the war.", "One of the organizations that ran the facility, Al-Salam Association for Humanitarian and Charitable Works, confirmed that the structures were part of the camp." |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074831/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/world/europe/carnage-and-contradiction-examining-a-deadly-strike-in-rafah.html |url-status=live }}

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad condemned the attack, labeling it a massacre and calling for the Palestinian people to "rise up and march" against Israel. A spokesperson for the Presidency of the Palestinian Authority condemned the incident, calling it a massacre and called for an intervention.{{cite web |title=Palestinian Pres. adviser demands immediate intervention in Rafah |url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=3154680&Language=en |website=kuna.net.kw |publisher=Kuna |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=28 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728162401/https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=3154680&Language=en |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Israel strikes Rafah as pressure mounts over war in Gaza |url=https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-27-24#h_d2c751cd86dc7bf3f165bd9df9c8e04e |website=CNN |date=27 May 2024 |publisher=CNN |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528000229/https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-27-24/h_d2c751cd86dc7bf3f165bd9df9c8e04e |url-status=live }} A survivor of the attack stated, "They told us that this area is safe... but now there is no safe place in Gaza. There are massacres everywhere."{{cite web |title=Survivors recount horror of Rafah camp attack |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929126 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605232943/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929126 |url-status=live }} A lawyer with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights stated the attack showed Israel was ignoring the International Court of Justice's interim orders.{{cite web |title=Rafah attack shows Israel is ignoring ICJ's binding orders |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928368 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605234018/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928368 |url-status=live }}

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the incident was a "tragic mishap".{{Cite web |date=27 May 2024 |title=Israel airstrike in Rafah kills dozens as Netanyahu acknowledges "tragic mishap" |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-rockets-central-israel-gaza-strip-sirens/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=15 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615040306/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-rockets-central-israel-gaza-strip-sirens/ |url-status=live }} Initially, the Israeli military said the attack was "under review", while its top military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi called the incident "very grave".{{cite web |title=Israel's top military prosecutor says 'very grave' Rafah incident under investigation |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-27-2024/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=no-longer-justifiable-israel-faces-international-condemnation-for-strike-in-rafah |website=Times of Israel |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529120930/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-27-2024/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=no-longer-justifiable-israel-faces-international-condemnation-for-strike-in-rafah |url-status=live }} Some Israelis celebrated the attack, likening it to the Jewish holiday Lag BaOmer, in which bonfires are lit to commemorate a second century Rabbi. The analogy was made by Israel's Channel 14 senior journalist Yinon Magal, who posted pictures on social media captioned: "The main lighting of the year in Rafah" and by i24NEWS' Naveh Dromi commenting "Happy Holiday." Both posts were later removed. The comparison was also made by far-right rapper Yoav Eliasi, who posted videos on Telegram in celebration of the attack and also likened it to the holiday. Some Israeli social media users also shared memes and jokes about the attack, while others condemned the posts.{{cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-27/ty-article/.premium/right-wing-israeli-journalists-celebrate-rafah-attack-likening-it-to-lag-baomer-bonfire/0000018f-b983-dca9-a5cf-bd832e6e0000 |title='Happy Holidays': Right-wing Israeli Journalists Celebrate Rafah Attack, Likening It to Lag Ba'Omer Bonfire |newspaper=Haaretz |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=31 May 2024 |last1=Fink |first1=Rachel |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530204208/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-27/ty-article/.premium/right-wing-israeli-journalists-celebrate-rafah-attack-likening-it-to-lag-baomer-bonfire/0000018f-b983-dca9-a5cf-bd832e6e0000 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israelis-celebrate-rafah-massacre-jewish-holiday-bonfire |title=Israelis celebrate Rafah massacre as Jewish holiday bonfire |work=Middle East Eye |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528161723/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israelis-celebrate-rafah-massacre-jewish-holiday-bonfire |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/4689184-israeli-strike-rafah-global-outrage-ceasefire/ |title=Israeli strike on Rafah camp fuels global outrage, calls for cease-fire |work=The Hill |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529020012/https://thehill.com/policy/international/4689184-israeli-strike-rafah-global-outrage-ceasefire/ |url-status=live }}

In Netanyahu's 2024 speech to the United States Congress, he said that a commander in Rafah told him that practically no civilians had been killed in the offensive, except for in the attack, which they described as "a single incident where shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot and unintentionally killed two dozen people". CNN noted that there were other strikes on Rafah that killed civilians, including that week.{{cite news |last1=Saifi |first1=Zeena |date=24 July 2024 |title=Fact check: Netanyahu falsely claims there have been 'practically' no civilian fatalities in Rafah, besides one incident {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/24/politics/fact-check-netanyahu-rafah-claims/index.html. |work=CNN |language=en}}

Al-Jazeera said the attack "re-ignited" protests in support of Palestinians during the war, citing protests in Lebanon, Europe, and the United States.{{cite web |title=Global protests condemn Israel's attack on Rafah |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/5/28/global-protests-condemn-israels-attack-on-rafah |website=aljazeera.com |publisher=Aljazeera |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603004626/https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/5/28/global-protests-condemn-israels-attack-on-rafah |url-status=live }}

• {{Flag|Belgium}}: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for further peace negotiations after the attack.{{cite news |title=Israel-Gaza war live: attacks on Rafah are 'horrifying', says Unrwa, as Macron says he is 'outraged' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/may/27/israel-gaza-war-live-aid-groups-horrified-by-israeli-strike-on-camp-housing-displaced-people-in-rafah |website=The Guardian |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=27 May 2024 |last1=Chao-Fong |first1=Léonie |last2=Lowe |first2=Yohannes |last3=Bayer |first3=Lili |last4=Ahmad |first4=Reged |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007205956/https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/may/27/israel-gaza-war-live-aid-groups-horrified-by-israeli-strike-on-camp-housing-displaced-people-in-rafah |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Canada}}: A legislator and the leader of the New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh posted a tweet after images of the incident went viral: "Images of the IDFs airstrike hitting a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah are horrifying. Images so terrible I won't share them. The world is failing the people of Gaza. Canada is failing the people of Gaza."{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2928686 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210230/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928686 |url-status=live }} Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated, "Canada does not support an Israeli military operation in Rafah. This level of human suffering must come to an end".{{cite web |title=Israel promises investigation of deadly Rafah airstrike after international outrage |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-hamas-war-day-234-1.7215629 |website=CBC |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603002132/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-hamas-war-day-234-1.7215629 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Chile}}: The country strongly condemns the "indiscriminate attack" by the Israeli forces.{{Cite web |title=Global condemnation of Israel over Rafah camp 'massacre' |url=https://aje.io/udgx2i?update=2930529 |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210216/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-intense-israeli-artillery-shelling-across-rafah?update=2930529 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Colombia}}: President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack, stating that "the massacre continues".
• {{Flag|Egypt}}: The country condemned the attack, again calling on Israel to halt the Rafah offensive.{{cite web |last=Al-Mughrabi |first=Nidal |last2=Williams |first2=Dan |date=May 27, 2024 |title=Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp draws global condemnation |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-attack-rafah-tent-camp-draws-global-condemnation-2024-05-27/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531151436/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-attack-rafah-tent-camp-draws-global-condemnation-2024-05-27/ |archive-date=31 May 2024 |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=Reuters |publisher=}}
• {{Flag|France}}: President Emmanuel Macron said he was "outraged" at the attacks and again called for a ceasefire.{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2929285 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210216/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929285 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Germany}}: German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the ICJ's measures were binding and urged Israel to follow international law.{{Cite web |first1=Chris |last1=Lau |first2=Aditi |last2=Sangal |first3=Maureen |last3=Chowdhury |first4=Heather |last4=Chen |first5=Helen |last5=Regan |date=27 May 2024 |title=German foreign minister says ICJ ruling on Gaza is "binding" and has "to be followed" |url=https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-27-24#h_97a9cde7ee6266a77200c062c6529edd |access-date=29 May 2024 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603002843/https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-27-24/h_97a9cde7ee6266a77200c062c6529edd |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Indonesia}}: The country condemned the Israeli attack on camps for displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the strongest terms, calling it "a flagrant breach of the Orders of the ICJ".{{Cite tweet |number=1795308023977750745 |user=Kemlu_RI |title=Indonesia condemns in the strongest terms the recent Israeli attack on camps for displaced Palestinians in Rafah. This attack is a flagrant breach of the Orders of the ICJ. |first=MoFA |last=Indonesia |date=28 May 2024 |access-date=28 May 2024 |language=en }}
• {{Flag|Iraq}}: Cleric and the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, called for the closure of the US embassy in Baghdad after the attacks in Rafah.{{Cite web |title=Influential Iraqi cleric calls for closure of US embassy after Israel's Rafah strike |website=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/influential-iraqi-cleric-calls-for-closure-of-us-embassy-after-israels-rafah-strike/ |date=28 May 2024 |access-date=31 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529105428/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/influential-iraqi-cleric-calls-for-closure-of-us-embassy-after-israels-rafah-strike/ |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Italy}}: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that violence against Palestinians was "no longer justifiable".{{cite web |date=27 May 2024 |title=Italy says violence against civilians in Gaza 'no longer justifiable' |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/italy-says-violence-against-civilians-gaza-no-longer-justifiable-2024-05-27/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |website= |publisher=Reuters}}
• {{Flag|Ireland}}: the vice-prime minister said the attack was "barbaric" and urged Israel to halt the Rafah offensive.{{Cite web |title=Gaza war: Micheál Martin condemns 'barbaric' air strike on Rafah |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz99nvlzl0yo |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=BBC News |date=27 May 2024 |language=en-GB |archive-date=31 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531001058/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz99nvlzl0yo |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Japan}}: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa say that the country is "deeply concerned" about the humanitarian situation in Rafah after the attacks.{{Cite web |title=Japan urges Israel to implement ICJ ruling |url=https://aje.io/udgx2i?update=2931287 |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210250/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-intense-israeli-artillery-shelling-across-rafah?update=2931287 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Jordan}}: The Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and urged the international community to hold the perpetrators responsible.{{Cite web |date=28 May 2024 |title=دانت وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين بأشد العبارات استهداف قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي خيام النازحين الفلسطينيين في رفح، مجدداً اليوم، واستمرارها بارتكاب جرائم الحرب البشعة بحق الفلسطينيين في غزة، في انتهاك صارخ لقواعد القانون الدولي والقانون الدولي الإنساني وقرارات محكمة العدل الدولية.وأكد الناطق الرسمي باسم الوزارة السفير د.سفيان القضاة إدانة المملكة واستنكارها المطلق لاستمرار إسرائيل بتحدي القانون الدولي والإرادة الدولية الداعية لوقف الحرب، وارتكابها لجرائم الحرب في غزة، مجدداً دعوته للمجتمع الدولي بضرورة التحرك بشكل فوري وفاعل ووقف هذه الانتهاكات والجرائم التي تتنافى وجميع القيم والمبادئ الإنسانية. |url=https://x.com/ForeignMinistry/status/1795565852114174200 |access-date=29 May 2024 |website=Jordanian Foreign Ministry via Twitter |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603004313/https://x.com/ForeignMinistry/status/1795565852114174200 |url-status=live }}
• {{flag|Norway}}: Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated that the Israeli attack on Rafah has "breached international law".{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2928769 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210231/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928769 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Oman}}: The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack.{{cite web |title=Oman denounces Israeli aggression on refugee camps in Rafah |url=https://www.muscatdaily.com/2024/05/29/oman-denounces-israeli-aggression-on-refugee-camps-in-rafah/ |website=muscatdaily.com |date=29 May 2024 |publisher=Mucat Daily |access-date=25 October 2024 |archive-date=2 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902173324/https://www.muscatdaily.com/2024/05/29/oman-denounces-israeli-aggression-on-refugee-camps-in-rafah/ |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Turkey}}: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the attack, saying Turkey will do "everything possible" to hold "barbaric" Netanyahu to account.{{cite web |title='Heinous massacre': Israel's attack on Rafah tent camp widely condemned |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/heinous-massacre-israels-attacks-on-rafah-tent-camp-widely-condemned |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=aljazeera.com |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527161706/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/heinous-massacre-israels-attacks-on-rafah-tent-camp-widely-condemned |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2929258 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210218/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929258 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Qatar}}: The country warned that the strike could hinder ceasefire negotiations.
• {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}: The country said that it "condemns in the strongest terms the continued massacres" carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza and that it "affirms its categorical rejection of the continued flagrant violations by the Israeli occupation forces of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms". The Saudi Foreign Ministry also called for the international community to intervene in the conflict.{{cite web |title=Rafah Strikes Could 'Hinder' Gaza Truce Talks: Mediator Qatar |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/rafah-strikes-could-hinder-gaza-truce-talks-mediator-qatar-bef1911f?refsec=topics_afp-news |website=barrons.com |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=9 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909181737/https://www.barrons.com/news/rafah-strikes-could-hinder-gaza-truce-talks-mediator-qatar-bef1911f?refsec=topics_afp-news |url-status=live }}
• {{flag|South Africa}}: The International Relations Department says the government has joined the international community and condemned the Israeli attack.{{Cite web |title=South African government condemns Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp |url=https://aje.io/udgx2i?update=2931341 |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210722/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-intense-israeli-artillery-shelling-across-rafah?update=2931341 |url-status=live }}
• {{flag|Spain}}: Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the bombing of Rafah was "one more day with innocent Palestinian civilians being killed", adding that the gravity of the attack "is even larger" as it comes after the ICJ order directing Israel to halt its operations in Rafah and the rest of Gaza.{{Cite web |date=27 May 2024 |title='Heinous massacre': Israel's attack on Rafah tent camp widely condemned |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/heinous-massacre-israels-attacks-on-rafah-tent-camp-widely-condemned |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527161706/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/heinous-massacre-israels-attacks-on-rafah-tent-camp-widely-condemned |url-status=live }}
• {{flag|UAE}}: The country condemned the attack and stressed that Israel had to follow the ICJ's ruling.
• {{Flag|United Kingdom}}: The UK Foreign Office reiterated that it didn't support the Rafah offensive. The leader of the then-opposition Labour Party Keir Starmer said that he would push for an end to the invasion of Gaza.{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2929438 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210824/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929438 |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|United States}}: a White House spokesperson expressed sadness at the casualties, but emphasized that Israel had the right to defend itself.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Matt |date=28 May 2024 |title=Deadly strike on Rafah a tragic mishap, Netanyahu says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjjj26d0eqxo |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} While the Biden administration had previously said that a Rafah offensive would cross its "red line", on 28 May, the administration announced that the attack didn't violate its "red line", which it said was a "large-scale" ground operation.{{cite web |title=Israel's operation in Rafah doesn't cross US red lines – White House |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22pl9p212o |work=BBC News |first=Christy |last=Cooney |date=28 May 2024 |access-date=30 May 2024 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530004649/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22pl9p212o |url-status=live }} On 29 May, the United Nations Security Council met to discuss a resolution that would order Israel to halt the Rafah offensive. The American ambassador insisted Israel has a right to defend itself,{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/algeria-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-un.html |date=29 May 2024 |work=The New York Times |title=New Cease-Fire Proposal Circulates at U.N., Driven by Outrage Over Israel's Strike on a Tent Camp |first=Farnaz |last=Fassihi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008063312/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/algeria-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-un.html |archive-date=8 October 2024 }} and opposed the resolution.{{Cite news |title=US says Algeria's proposed UN resolution on Rafah is not balanced |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us-says-algerias-proposed-un-resolution-rafah-is-not-balanced-2024-05-30/ |work=Reuters |date=30 May 2024 }}
• {{Flag|Yemen}}: The Aden-based Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "heinous massacre committed by the forces of the Israeli entity." and called on the United Nations Security Council to "assume its responsibilities to stop the machinery of death and destruction, and to provide immediate protection for the Palestinian people".{{cite web |title=Yemen denounces Israeli entity's massacre in Rafah City's camp |url=https://www.mofa-ye.org/Pages/27731/ |website=mofa-ye.org |date=27 May 2024 |publisher=Republic of Yemen Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates |access-date=25 October 2024 }}

• {{Flag|African Union}}: The African Union Commission said the ICJ order must be "urgently enforced if global order is to prevail". Its chairman Moussa Faki wrote on X: "With horrific overnight airstrikes killing mostly Palestinian women & children trapped in a displacement camp in Rafah, the State of Israel continues to violate international law with impunity and in contempt of an ICJ ruling two days ago ordering an end to its military action in Rafah".
• {{Flag|European Union}}: Foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the attack, saying that Israel's military actions needed to stop.
• {{Flag|United Nations}}: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned the attack and called it "unacceptable", stating that Israel must face sanctions to pressure them to stop.{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2928654 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210723/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928654 |url-status=live }} Albanese described the attack as "yet another massacre."{{cite web |title='Horror': World condemns Israel's massacre in Rafah camp, calls for ceasefire |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/horror-world-condemns-israels-massacre-rafah-camp |website=newarab.com |publisher=The New Arab |access-date=25 October 2024 |archive-date=1 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001110141/https://www.newarab.com/news/horror-world-condemns-israels-massacre-rafah-camp |url-status=live }} The UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned "Israel's actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict", adding that "This horror must stop."{{cite web |last=Ebrahim |first=Nadeen |title=Israeli strike that killed 45 at camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah a 'tragic error,' Netanyahu says |website=CNN |date=27 May 2024 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/27/middleeast/gaza-rafah-displaced-people-camp-israel-strike-mime-intl/index.html |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926043614/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/27/middleeast/gaza-rafah-displaced-people-camp-israel-strike-mime-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}
• UNRWA: Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of UNRWA, said that images from the attack were "a testament to how Rafah has turned into hell on earth".{{cite web |title=Israel strikes Rafah as pressure mounts over war in Gaza |url=https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-27-24/index.html |website=cnn.com |date=27 May 2024 |publisher=CNN |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=25 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925094701/https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-05-27-24/index.html |url-status=live }}
• {{Flag|Organisation of Islamic Cooperation}}: The OIC called the attack a "heinous massacre" and an act of "state-organised terrorism".{{cite web |title=OIC tells UNSC to 'assume responsibilities' after Rafah 'massacre' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-intense-israeli-artillery-shelling-across-rafah?update=2930623 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=6 June 2024 |archive-date=6 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606231432/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-intense-israeli-artillery-shelling-across-rafah?update=2930623 |url-status=live }}
• International Criminal Court: Chris Gunness said that the three pre-trial chamber judges were as "horrified as the rest of the world" about the attack.

• International Committee of the Red Cross: A spokesperson for the group said there was a need to follow international law, and that Gaza's healthcare system could not handle the attack.
• Doctors Without Borders: the group said the attack showed "nowhere in Gaza is safe" and reiterated its call for a ceasefire.{{cite web |title=Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp draws global condemnation |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-attack-rafah-tent-camp-draws-global-condemnation-2024-05-27/ |website=reuters.com |publisher=Reuters |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=31 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531151436/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-attack-rafah-tent-camp-draws-global-condemnation-2024-05-27/ |url-status=live }}
• Palestine Red Crescent Society: the group noted that Israel forcibly displaced civilians into that area.{{cite web |title=Gaza ministry reports at least 35 killed in strike that hit civilian tents in Rafah |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-ministry-reports-killed-strike-hit-civilian-tents-rafah-rcna154136 |website=nbcnews.com |date=27 May 2024 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617042153/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-ministry-reports-killed-strike-hit-civilian-tents-rafah-rcna154136 |url-status=live }}
• ActionAid UK: the group condemned the "inhumane, barbaric" attack.{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2928785 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210725/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2928785 |url-status=live }}
• 19 aid groups said in a joint statement: "As Israeli attacks intensify on Rafah, the unpredictable trickle of aid into Gaza has created a mirage of improved access, while the humanitarian response is in reality on the verge of collapse."{{Cite web |date=30 May 2024 |title=Amid ongoing Israeli incursions into Gaza, aid facilities shut 'one after another' |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150411 |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=United Nations |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530115547/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150411 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=28 May 2024 |title=Gaza: New crossing points and 'floating dock' are cosmetic changes, as humanitarian access disintegrates in Gaza, warn aid agencies |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-new-crossing-points-and-floating-dock-are-cosmetic-changes-humanitarian-access-disintegrates-gaza-warn-aid-agencies-enar |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=Reliefweb.int |language=en |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529205420/https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-new-crossing-points-and-floating-dock-are-cosmetic-changes-humanitarian-access-disintegrates-gaza-warn-aid-agencies-enar |url-status=live }}

A British doctor in Rafah said that videos of the attack were "truly some of the worst that I have seen".{{cite news |title=Middle East Crisis: Israeli Airstrike in Rafah Kills Dozens in Tent Camp, Gazan Officials Say |work=The New York Times |date=26 May 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/26/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas-rafah |access-date=27 May 2024 |last1=Patil |first1=Anushka |archive-date=1 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901150435/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/26/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas-rafah |url-status=live }}

Following the attack, several aid organisations in this part of the city were forced to close their operations and move them to other parts of the Gaza Strip, including the Al Quds field hospital run by the Palestine Red Crescent Society, a clinic supported by Doctors Without Borders and kitchens run by the World Central Kitchen.{{Cite web |date=29 May 2024 |title=Aid Groups in Rafah Say Israel's Advance Is Pushing Them Out |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/gaza-rafah-aid-hospitals.html |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=The New York Times |first=Erika |last=Solomon |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530021655/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/gaza-rafah-aid-hospitals.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=30 May 2024 |title=Amid ongoing Israeli incursions into Gaza, aid facilities shut 'one after another' |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150411 |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=Doctors Without Borders |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530115547/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150411 |url-status=live }}

At United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken's last press conference in 2025, a journalist interrupted him and shouted "Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May? We all knew we had a deal. Everyone in this room knows we had a deal, Tony, and you kept the bombs flowing", likely referring to the bombing.{{cite web |title=Journalist disrupts Blinken press conference: 'How does it feel for your legacy to be genocide?' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/5089889-journalist-disrupts-blinken-press-conference-how-does-it-feel-for-your-legacy-to-be-genocide/ |website=thehill.com |publisher=The Hill |access-date=19 January 2025}}

• Council on American-Islamic Relations: The American-Muslim advocacy and civil rights organization condemned the attacks and demanded that US President Joe Biden stop arming Israel to embolden further attacks on civilians in the face of several prior attacks using US weapons.{{Cite web |first=Ibrahim |last=Hooper |date=26 May 2024 |title=CAIR Condemns 'U.S.-Backed Massacre' at Rafah Displacement Center |url=https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-u-s-backed-massacre-at-rafah-displacement-center/ |website=CAIR |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526212259/https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-u-s-backed-massacre-at-rafah-displacement-center/ |url-status=live }} National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell stated in a news conference that Biden should not keep "shifting" and "cross[ing] his own red line" and "every red line of U.S. law, international law and basic human decency", and that him providing "military, financial, and diplomatic support" to these operations was staining all Americans "with the blood of innocent Palestinians".{{Cite web |last=Hooper |first=Ibrahim |date=27 May 2024 |title=Baltimore: National Muslim Leaders to Respond to Israeli Massacre in Rafah 'Safe Zone,' Beheading of Palestinian Children |url=https://www.cair.com/press_releases/baltimore-national-muslim-leaders-to-respond-to-israeli-massacre-in-rafah-safe-zone-beheading-of-palestinian-children/ |website=CAIR |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527170122/https://www.cair.com/press_releases/baltimore-national-muslim-leaders-to-respond-to-israeli-massacre-in-rafah-safe-zone-beheading-of-palestinian-children/ |url-status=live }}
• Jewish Voice for Peace: the US-based Jewish advocacy group condemned the "massacre" carried out by Israel, stating that "the genocide must end".{{Cite web |url=https://aje.io/x8f7er?update=2929161 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live news: Rafah carnage prompts global condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007210240/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-news-35-killed-in-rafah-tent-bombings?update=2929161 |url-status=live }}
• Former First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, wrote: "Bear witness to the images and ask yourself, are you on the right side of history?" after sharing the images of the incident.
• An image depicting tents in a camp arranged to spell out "All Eyes on Rafah", calling for people to pay attention to the offensive in the aftermath of the strike, went viral on social media, with many celebrities re-posting the image.{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/29/what-is-all-eyes-on-rafah-decoding-the-latest-viral-social-trend |title=What is 'All eyes on Rafah'? Decoding a viral social trend on Israel's war |work=Al Jazeera |access-date=29 May 2024 |date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603123904/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/29/what-is-all-eyes-on-rafah-decoding-the-latest-viral-social-trend |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/all-eyes-on-rafah.html |title='All Eyes on Rafah' Surges on Social Media After a Deadly Israeli Strike |work=The New York Times |first=Ali |last=Watkins |access-date=29 May 2024 |date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529125359/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/middleeast/all-eyes-on-rafah.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/05/28/all-eyes-on-rafah-slogan-spreads-on-social-media-what-to-know-about-its-origins/?sh=7cf02a942217 |title='All Eyes On Rafah' Slogan Spreads On Social Media: What To Know About Its Origins |work=Forbes |access-date=29 May 2024 |date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529180131/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/05/28/all-eyes-on-rafah-slogan-spreads-on-social-media-what-to-know-about-its-origins/?sh=7cf02a942217 |url-status=live }}
• In response to Netanyahu describing the attack as a "tragedy" and "mistake", Journalist Renee Graham said "mistake" and "accident" are words the Israeli leadership uses after every mass killing of civilians in Gaza.{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Renée |title=Palestinian lives and Netanyahu's latest 'tragic accident' in Gaza - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/28/opinion/israel-netanyahu-rafah-tent-strike-fire/ |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US |archive-date=26 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626130311/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/28/opinion/israel-netanyahu-rafah-tent-strike-fire/ |url-status=live }}
• Following the attack, British Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton urged Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, writing on Instagram that "Enough is enough. We cannot continue to watch this tragedy unfold and not speak up."{{Cite web |last=Art |first=Pop Culture & |date=29 May 2024 |title=Lewis Hamilton voices support for Palestinians |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2468833/lewis-hamilton-voices-support-for-palestinians |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530090721/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2468833/lewis-hamilton-voices-support-for-palestinians |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=GPfans.com |date=3 June 2024 |title=Hamilton makes powerful statement on Israel-Palestine conflict |url=https://www.gpfans.com/us/f1-news/1021946/f1-lewis-hamilton-strong-statement-israel-gaza-conflict/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=GPfans |language=en-US }}
• Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi stated, "Images of children burning in refugee tents in Rafah starkly depict the decline of humanity in our world".{{cite web |title=Images from Rafah depict 'decline of humanity in our world': Narges Mohammadi |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/liveblog/2024/6/4/israels-war-on-gaza-live-pressure-mounts-on-israel-hamas-to-cease-fire?update=2950189 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=13 June 2024 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613235302/https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/liveblog/2024/6/4/israels-war-on-gaza-live-pressure-mounts-on-israel-hamas-to-cease-fire?update=2950189 |url-status=live }}
• Columbia University Apartheid Divest: Student protestors at Columbia briefly set up a third campus occupation during the university's alumni weekend, partially motivated by the attack, saying the administration was complicit in it.{{cite magazine |title=Columbia University, Epicenter of Gaza Protests, Launches New Revolt |url=https://newrepublic.com/post/182154/columbia-university-gaza-protests-new-revolt-rafah |website=newrepublic.com |publisher=The New Republic |access-date=3 September 2024 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240603002156/https://newrepublic.com/post/182154/columbia-university-gaza-protests-new-revolt-rafah |url-status=live }}

• Attacks on Jabalia refugee camp (2023–present)
• Israeli attacks on Al-Maghazi refugee camp
• al-Shati refugee camp airstrikes
• Flour massacre
• May 2024 Al-Mawasi refugee camp attack
• Rafah paramedic massacre
• List of massacres in the Palestinian territories
• Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war
• List of accidents and incidents involving transport or storage of ammunition
• Sri Lankan civil war § Fighting in the 'No-Fire Zone'

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist}}

{{Gaza war}}

{{Massacres against Palestinians}}

Category:2024 airstrikes

Category:2024 building bombings

Category:Israeli airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war

Category:May 2024 crimes in Asia

Category:Filmed killings in Asia

Category:Building bombings in the Gaza Strip

Category:Israeli massacres of Palestinians

Category:Rafah offensive

Category:UNRWA

Category:2024 massacres of the Gaza war

Category:21st-century mass murder in the Gaza Strip

Category:Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war

Category:Fires in Palestine

Category:2024 fires in Asia

Category:Building and structure fires in Asia