Health officials reported that Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, resulted in the deaths of 13 individuals, including nine children, on Sunday. The airstrikes occurred as the United States prepared to approve billions of dollars in additional military aid to Israel, its close ally, despite the ongoing conflict.
Israel has been conducting daily air raids on Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have sought refuge from the fighting in other areas. Israel has also pledged to broaden its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt, despite international calls for restraint, including from the US.
The first airstrike resulted in the death of a man, his pregnant wife, and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. Medical personnel were able to save the baby. The second strike resulted in the deaths of eight children and two women, all from the same family, according to hospital records. An airstrike in Rafah the previous night had killed nine people, including six children.
