Israel tells US shrapnel from Rafah strike may have ignited fuel tank

[duluxe]

https://www.jns.org/israel-tells-us-shrapnel-from-rafah-strike-led-to-fuel-tank-fire/

The IDF said the strike was carried out in accordance with international law, was based on intelligence and executed using precision weaponry.​

Shrapnel from an Israeli strike in Rafah on Sunday night may have ignited a fuel tank, starting a fire that engulfed tents housing displaced Gazans and leading to dozens of noncombatant deaths, Israeli officials have told the Biden administration.

A U.S. official told CNN that according to the Israelis, a precision munition was used in the strike.

“We can’t confirm that but it’s what Israel shared with us,” the official said, adding that “we assume we will learn more once Israel completes its investigation.”

ABC News cited a U.S. official as saying that the fuel tank was located around 100 meters (330 feet) from the area targeted in the airstrike.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Monday that it had opened an operational investigation into the airstrike and the civilian deaths that resulted, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “a tragic mistake.”

A White House National Security Council spokesperson told Axios that the Biden administration is actively engaging with the Israel Defense Forces and other partners on the ground in Gaza to determine what happened.

“The devastating images following the IDF strike in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking. Israel has a right to go after Hamas…but as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians,” the spokesperson said.

According to the IDF, the strike took place outside of the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, to which nearly a million people have been evacuated during the weeks-long Rafah operation.

The IDF posted a map to X showing the location of the strike in relation to the humanitarian area, writing that “contrary to Hamas’s lies and misinformation, the strike did not take place in the Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Area.”