Defence Minister Guido Crosetto emphasized the dire situation faced by innocent civilians, stating, "There is an increasingly difficult situation in which the Palestinian people are being squeezed without regard for the rights of innocent men, women and children."
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated Italy's support for a ceasefire in a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa. They also urged Hamas to release Israeli captives.
Meanwhile, Gaza officials report that Israeli air strikes have killed 40 people in a camp housing displaced Palestinians near Rafah. The attack on Tal as-Sultan followed bombings in other areas, leaving at least 160 dead.
In a statement, the Israeli military admitted that it carried out the air attack on that particular area and it’s looking into what it describes as collateral damage.
It left hundreds of Palestinians displaced in that area with a shattered sense of safety and security. They were targeted, killed and maimed in a particular area that they were told to evacuate to.
Additional strikes targeted communication infrastructure, leaving areas without internet connectivity.
Further strikes occurred in Nuseirat and Khan Younis, with casualties pouring into hospitals.
The attack on displaced Palestinians in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan area has been one of the deadliest since the start of the war on Gaza, with the heavy bombs used on the shelters ripping victims to shreds.
“We retrieved a large number of child martyrs from the Israeli bombardment, including a child without a head and children whose bodies have turned into fragments,” a Palestinian paramedic told Anadolu.
Mohammad al-Mughayyir, a senior official at the civil defence agency, told AFP: “We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs … We also saw cases of amputations, wounded children, women and the elderly.”
The Government Media Office in Gaza said earlier today that US-made 2,000-pound bombs were used during the attack – which the Israeli military claims was carried out in accordance with international law.
The toll of Israel's war on Gaza continues to rise, with thousands killed and tens of thousands wounded since October 7.