Fear and uncertainty gripped Saleh Mohammed al-Hila and his family as they sheltered in a tent in Rafah, amid escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel. Following a Hamas rocket attack on central Israel, Israel retaliated with airstrikes that resulted in the death of dozens of Palestinians, including four of al-Hila’s relatives. The strike targeted a camp for displaced people, causing international outrage and prompting Israeli authorities to launch an investigation.
The camp, known as Kuwaiti Al-Salam Camp 1, had been in existence for months and housed hundreds of families displaced by the war. The Israeli military claimed it was not aware of the camp’s presence when launching the strike and alleged that it had targeted Hamas officials orchestrating attacks against Israelis. The strike used precision GPS-guided munitions that were meant to cause minimal collateral damage, but resulted in widespread destruction and civilian casualties.
Witness accounts and video footage from the scene painted a harrowing picture of the aftermath of the strike. People were seen pulling charred bodies from the wreckage, while others scrambled to provide aid to the wounded. The Israel military initially defended the strike as targeting Hamas militants, but later acknowledged the civilian casualties and promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
As international scrutiny mounted, questions arose about the circumstances leading to the strike and the extent of Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian harm. The camp was well-known, and the metal sheds targeted had been erected months prior with input from Israeli authorities. The Israeli military claimed to have conducted aerial surveillance to avoid civilian casualties, but reports suggested that the strike had caused significant harm to civilians.
The cause of the fire that engulfed the camp and led to further casualties remained a point of contention. While the Israeli military suggested that secondary explosions or external factors may have contributed to the blaze, aid workers and witnesses pointed to the presence of flammable gas canisters in the area. The incident raised concerns about the safety and vulnerability of displaced populations in conflict zones, as families like Qannan’s continued to grapple with uncertainty and loss.
