Israeli fire killed at least 19 Palestinians on Sunday, according to health officials, following the deaths of three Israeli soldiers by rocket fire from Hamas near the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
Israel reported that the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for an attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza on Sunday, killing three of the group’s soldiers.
The Israeli military reported that it fired ten rockets from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the crossing point, closing it to the entry of humanitarian supplies into the coastal enclave. Still, other crossings are available.
The armed wing of Hamas said it launched rockets at an Israeli army base near the border crossing, but it did not specify from where the missiles originated. Hamas media cited a source close to the group who stated that the commercial crossing was not the intended target.
Palestinian medics report that shortly after the Hamas attack, an Israeli airstrike struck a house in Rafah, injuring multiple individuals and killing three.
The Israeli military issued a statement stating that the counter-strike targeted both the Hamas projectile launcher and a nearby military structure.
Hamas denies using civilians as human shields.
Near the Egyptian border, in Rafah, more than one million Palestinians are seeking refuge.
