Tel al-Sultan attack

"Rafah tent massacre" redirects here. For other mass killings in Rafah, see Rafah massacre.

Tel al-Sultan attack
Part of the Rafah offensive and refugee camp airstrikes in the Israel–Hamas war
The ensuing fire at the tent camp
Tel al-Sultan is located in the Gaza Strip
Tel al-Sultan
Tel al-Sultan
Location within the Gaza Strip
LocationKuwaiti Peace Camp I, Tel al-Sultan, Rafah, Gaza Strip
Coordinates31°18′32.32″N 34°14′35.17″E / 31.3089778°N 34.2431028°E / 31.3089778; 34.2431028
Date26 May 2024
~20:45 (UTC+02:00)
Attack type
Airstrikes
Deaths45–50 Palestinians[1][2][a]
2 Hamas officials[5] (per Israel)
Injured200+
Perpetrators Israeli Air Force

On 26 May 2024, the Israeli Air Force bombed a displacement camp in Tel al-Sultan, Rafah.[6][5] The attack set the camp on fire, killing between 45 and 50 Palestinians, and injuring over 200. Sometimes referred to as the Rafah tent massacre (مجزرة الخيم),[7][8] it was the deadliest incident of the Rafah offensive.[9]

When Israel invaded Rafah and ordered the evacuation of its east, some citizens fled to other parts of the city, like Tel Al-Sultan, seeking safety.[10] One week before the bombing, Israel had designated the neighborhood as a "safe zone" and dropped leaflets instructing Palestinians to move there.[11][12][13] Two days before the attack, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt it's offensive,[14][15] but Israel interpreted the order differently and continued its operations.[16]

On the night of the incident, Israel struck the neighborhood with two U.S. made GBU-39 missiles, allegedly killing two Hamas commanders.[17] The strike ignited a fire in the "Kuwaiti Peace" tent camp, trapping and burning the civilians residing in it.[18] Israel claimed the strike targeted a Hamas compound near the camp, accidentally causing the fire. However, independent investigations showed that the location of the strike was inside the camp itself,[19][20] and military analysts said that given the effect radius of the bomb, Israel using it in a civilian area was "negligent".[21] The attack received widespread international condemnation.[22][5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference TG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference AP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Israeli strike hits Rafah area after Hamas barrage". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AJE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Israel/OPT: Israeli attacks targeting Hamas and other armed group fighters that killed scores of displaced civilians in Rafah should be investigated as war crimes". Amnesty International. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  7. ^ "US calls on Israel to 'protect' civilians after Rafah tent massacre". dailysabah.com. Daily Sabah. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Israel's Rafah Tents Massacre, Yet Another Heinous War Crime". jacobin.com. Jacobin. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Axios was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference AL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Haque, Adil Ahmad (25 May 2024). "Halt: The International Court of Justice and the Rafah Offensive". Just Security. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  15. ^ "'Canada' Day reflections: Our complicity in genocide". rabble.ca. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference interpret was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Stein, Robin; Triebert, Christiaan; Willis, Haley (29 May 2024). "Israel Used U.S.-Made Bombs in Strike That Killed Dozens Near Rafah". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Carnage and Contradiction: Examining a Deadly Strike in Rafah". The New York Times. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024. 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."
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference in was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference wapo2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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