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(TJV NEWS) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that a shell attack on Friday in the Gaza Strip killed 22 people and damaged its office. The area, surrounded by hundreds of displaced persons living in tents, was struck by “heavy caliber projectiles.”, Times of Israel reported.
The ICRC has not identified the source of the attack but confirmed the damage to their office via a statement on social media platform X.
Following the attack, 22 bodies and 45 wounded individuals were taken to a nearby Red Cross field hospital, with reports of additional casualties. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) denied a direct attack on the Red Cross facility but acknowledged the possibility of an erroneous strike, promising a swift investigation and report to international partners.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported 25 deaths and 50 injuries from the shelling, attributing the attack to Israeli forces. The ministry claimed the shelling targeted the tents of the displaced near the ICRC base in Al-Mawasi, though these figures and information could not be independently verified, nonetheless, the A.P reported this same Hamas account word-per-word, once more showing the news agency’s bias against Israel and steadfast trust in Hamas.
The ICRC condemned the shelling, emphasizing the danger posed by firing near humanitarian structures, which are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem. This incident follows several recent security breaches, including stray bullets hitting ICRC facilities, jeopardizing the lives of humanitarian workers and civilians.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell called for an independent investigation into the incident and accountability for those responsible. The IDF stated that its operations in the Rafah area, where the incident occurred, are based on precise intelligence, involving close-quarter combat and locating tunnels used by terror groups.
Additional clashes were reported in central Gaza, with the IDF’s elite Ghost Unit completing a raid on a university used as a Hamas command center. The military found weapons and explosives at the site. Moreover, three rockets were launched from the Nuseirat camp at southern Israel, causing no injuries or damage as they landed in an open area.
Separately, shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell, which mistakenly struck southern Israel, damaged a vehicle but caused no injuries. This error is under investigation.
The IDF also reported that two reservists were killed in a Hamas mortar attack in central Gaza, raising the death toll in the conflict to 314, including a police officer and a civilian contractor. The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The Gaza health ministry claims over 37,000 people have been killed or presumed dead in the ongoing fighting, though this number is unverified and includes both civilians and combatants.
