Israeli tanks in the heart of Rafah as 21 reported killed in latest strikes

Amid global outrage over an attack that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, the Israeli military has said it is investigating the possibility that weapons stored in a facility near the location hit might have exploded after an airstrike in Rafah on Sunday, triggering a blaze in a tent camp for displaced residents.

The bombing, which resulted in the massive fire in the camp in the Tel Al-Sultan district, led to widespread international condemnation and renewed criticism of the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, with world leaders and humanitarian groups calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking at a briefing today, Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said the explosives used in the attack – 17-kg munition, which he described as the “smallest our jets can use” – could not have sparked a fire of that scale.

“Weapons stored in a compound next to our target, which we didn’t know of, may have ignited the fire,” he said, providing no evidence, adding that the investigation continued.

Hagari said the attack hit a structure where two senior Hamas commanders were meeting, and that pictures posted on social media in the aftermath appear to show secondary explosions, which could have been caused by the weapons allegedly stored nearby.

The target, he said, was 1.7km from the area that had been designated as a humanitarian zone by the Israeli military, and 180m from the tents. At least 45 people were killed in the attack, including many women, children and the elderly, according to Gaza health authorities.

The update is unlikely to change the view of those who are critical of Israel’s tactics in Gaza, who say the military assumes the risk of killing large numbers of civilians when carrying out airstrikes knowing how densely populated the territory is.