Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes kill 35 in Gaza's Rafah as displaced people are hit
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip) (AP): Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 35 people and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris. Gaza's Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.
The attacks came on Sunday, two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population had sought shelter before Israel's incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.
Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction. Israel's army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas rebels. It said it was investigating reports that civilians were harmed. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant was in Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there, his office said.
A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood about two kilometres northwest of the city centre.
The society asserted that the location had been designated by Israel as a “humanitarian area”. The neighbourhood is not included in areas that Israel's military ordered evacuated earlier this month.
The airstrike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
There were no reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Hamas' military wing claimed responsibility. Israel's military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and “a number” were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed.
Earlier Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. Israel's military said 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.
But it was not immediately clear if humanitarian groups could access the aid — including medical supplies — because of fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israel's offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization last week said an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have “disastrous” impact.
“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom, Gaza's main cargo terminal, after a call between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
The war between Israel and Hamas has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the group operate in dense, residential areas.
Around 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and U.N. officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas' remaining battalions and achieve “total victory” over the group, who recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza.
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Christmas decorations vandalised by VHP activists at school in Nalbari; Tension in area
Nalbari: Tension prevailed in the Panigaon area of Nalbari district on December 24 after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal allegedly entered the premises of St Mary’s School and vandalised materials prepared for Christmas celebrations.
According to local sources, activists of the VHP and Bajrang Dal entered the school campus ahead of Christmas and raised slogans inside the premises. It is alleged that Christmas-related decorations and materials kept within the school compound were damaged and set on fire.
Eyewitnesses said that members of the Bajrang Dal were the first to enter the campus, during which they allegedly raised slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram,” “Jai Hindu Rashtra,” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” and burnt items prepared for Christmas celebrations. The incident created panic among local residents and led to concerns over law and order in the area. No injuries have been reported so far.
The incident comes amid reports of similar acts in Nalbari town in recent days, where Christmas decorations displayed at several commercial establishments were allegedly set on fire.
Reacting to the incident, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair said on social media that VHP and Bajrang Dal activists entered St Mary’s School on Christmas Eve, raised slogans and destroyed Christmas decorations. His post drew attention to the incident and sparked wider discussion online.
Police have not yet issued an official statement on the incident. Further details are awaited.
On Christmas Eve, Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal goons entered St. Mary’s School in Panigaon, Nalbari, chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Hindu Rashtra.” They destroyed and set fire to all Christmas decorations prepared at the school. pic.twitter.com/LQHV7FWUvz
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) December 24, 2025
