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A Gazan official says at least 21 people were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday when strikes hit an area of tents housing displaced people in Al-Mawasi, a coastal area of southern Gaza where Israel has designated a humanitarian safe zone, not far from the city of Rafah. The Israeli military immediately denied it had carried out any attacks inside the zone. Videos verified by The New York Times show multiple people dead and injured in an agricultural region near the zone where people had been living in tents. The Gazan official, Dr. Mohammed Al Moghayer, of the Palestinian Civil Defense, said most of the dead and injured were taken to nearby field hospitals, and others to a hospital in the city of Khan Younis. The Times verified the location of the videos by matching footage of the aftermath to satellite imagery of the area, but could not verify whether an Israeli airstrike caused the damage.
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Around one million people have fled Rafah amid Israel’s assault on the city in southern Gaza, according to the United Nations. The evacuation from Rafah, once the primary destination for people leaving other parts of the enclave, is the latest in a string of displacements since Israel launched a war to dismantle Hamas, the armed group that led the deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
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China joined a chorus of international voices in expressing “serious concern” about the Israeli military’s actions in Rafah, citing an order by the International Court of Justice last week that appeared to call for Israel to halt its military offensive there. China “opposes any violation of international law” and “strongly urges Israel to listen to the voice of the international community and stop attacking Rafah,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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A member of Egypt’s security forces was killed near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip and an investigation is underway, an Egyptian army spokesman said on Monday, after the Israeli military reported a shooting on the border. Al Qahera News, Egypt’s state-owned television station, cited an unnamed security official as saying it appeared there had been gunfire exchanged between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters, and that the ensuing battle resulted in the death of the soldier. The Times could not independently verify the circumstances of the shooting.