Red Cross says at least 22 people killed in attack on displaced civilians in Gaza as Israel expands operations

CNN — (CNN) — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said at least 22 people were killed in an attack on civilians seeking shelter in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday.

The attack hit the tents of displaced people in the Palestinian town of Mawasi, where many Palestinians had fled in recent weeks due to extensive Israeli operations in Rafah. The nearby Red Cross field hospital received 22 dead and 45 wounded, the ICRC said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent blamed Israel for the attack and said there were many casualties. Gaza’s Health Ministry said 25 people were killed and 50 wounded in the attack. CNN cannot confirm the casualty figures.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident, but initial investigations had found “no evidence” that it was behind the attack in Mawasi. Part of Mawasi – on the coast – has been designated a humanitarian zone.

According to the ICRC, one of its facilities was damaged in the attack.

In a post on X, the ICRC did not claim responsibility for the attack, but said: “The ICRC office – which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents – was damaged by artillery fire near Gaza. Shelling so dangerously close to humanitarian facilities puts the lives of civilians and humanitarian workers at risk.”

It was said that “heavy-caliber projectiles” hit just a few meters from the facility.

The ICRC said the incident was one of several in recent days after stray bullets hit ICRC buildings.

It stated that the parties to the conflict were obliged to “take all possible precautions to prevent harm to the civilian population”.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to Mawasi in recent weeks as Israeli operations expanded in Rafah to the south. In recent days, Israeli military operations have expanded to the west and north of Rafah, according to reports from Gaza, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they have encountered significant resistance from Hamas militants.

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