Several Palestinian fatalities in Rafah explosion likely caused by ‘secondary explosions’ from Hamas weapons, IDF reports

Ryan SaavedraMay 28, 2024

The IDF’s investigation into the Rafah tragedy revealed that the munitions used were too small and distant to have caused the deaths. The strike targeted Hamas terrorists, saving lives.⁤ The IDF’s precision strike was outside the ⁣designated humanitarian area. The munitions used were small and insufficient to ignite such a large fire. Hamas had been active in the ⁤area. The IDF’s inquiry into the Rafah incident found that the munitions were inadequate and far from the cause of the fatalities. Targeting Hamas militants, the precision strike averted casualties. Conducted outside the humanitarian zone, the strike used small munitions insufficient to trigger ⁤the extensive fire. Hamas presence in the region was noted.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released results from their initial investigation into the deaths of dozens of people at a tent camp in Rafah on Tuesday, saying that the munitions the country used were too small and were used too far away from where the people died to have been responsible for their deaths.

The IDF launched a strike against senior Hamas terrorists on Sunday night who were meeting inside a compound in Rafah that is used by Hamas.

Hamas-controlled local officials claimed that approximately four dozen people were killed in the strike and claimed that Israel was responsible for their deaths.

“The strike was based on precise intelligence that indicated that these terrorists, who were responsible for orchestrating and executing terror attacks against Israelis, were meeting inside the specific structure we targeted,” said IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. “These terrorists were responsible for the deaths of Israelis and they were actively commanding operations that could have killed even more. Their deaths saved lives.”

He showed images from Israeli aerial surveillance from the time of the strike that shows the IDF targeted a structure approximately 200 yards away from where the fire broke out in the tent camp.

“Contrary to reports, we conducted the strike outside the area that we designated as a humanitarian area and called civilians to evacuate to,” he said. “Our strike was over a kilometer and a half away from the Al-Mawasi humanitarian area.”

The strike hit an area approximately 200 yards away from the tent camp using munitions with the smallest warheads that can be used by military aircraft. The warheads had only 35 pounds of explosive material, which is extremely small compared to what is commonly used on battlefields around the world.

“Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size,” he said, noting that Hamas has been operating out of the area since October 7, which is a war crime since they are operating around civilians.

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Hagari showed that there were rocket launchers just a few dozen yards away from where their strike targeted.

“We are also assessing footage documented by Gazans on the night of the strike, posted on social media, which appear to show secondary explosions, indicating that there may have been weapons in the area,” he said. “Our signal intelligence intercepted some phone calls that reinforce this concern, raising the possibility that weapons stored in a nearby compound caught fire.”

The IDF also says it identified launch pits adjacent to the site of the strike. pic.twitter.com/dUx7wKjXwp

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) May 28, 2024

The IDF released an audio file of a conversation that was intercepted between two Gazans in which one says that the fire erupted because Hamas had a bunch of ammunition in the area at a warehouse that started exploding.

“I mean the Jewish bombing wasn’t strong, it was a small missile, because it didn’t create a large hole,” the Gazan said to his friend.

Lastly, the IDF released an audio conversation between two Gaza describing the Rafah attack. pic.twitter.com/ip1AuARTdJ

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) May 28, 2024