"Entire family wiped out": 22 die in Israeli air attack on Rafah, healthcare workers report
Warning: This story contains graphic content.
Tragically, the victims of an attack were transported to Abu Youssef Al Najjar hospital in Rafah, as their grieving families prepared to say their goodbyes.
A video taken in the hospital's courtyard shows numerous body bags laid on the ground, surrounded by a distraught crowd comprising men, women, and children. They were standing by their family members' deceased bodies. Someone could be seen cradling a lifeless child, who had their head protruding from one of the bags, while a woman nearby exclaimed, "My whole family has perished."
The child's uncle, Mahmoud Abu Taha, was seen holding the infant's body, explaining that his parents had spent a decade trying to conceive before he was born.
"We were peacefully sitting in our homes, not intending to harm anyone. It was unexpected when they bombarded our house," he said while showing the baby to the camera, his tears flowing. "Majority of the people who lost their lives were refugees. Most were women and children."
Addressing the camera, Mahmoud lifted the baby up, crying out, "This is who they're targeting. This is their mission. This is the generation they want to annihilate. This is the safe Rafah they talk about."
In response to CNN's request for comment about Monday's airstrike in Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement saying their aircraft "targeted terror sites where terrorists were operating within a civilian area of southern Gaza."
"The IDF will persistently halt terrorist activities and safeguard Israeli citizens, as per international law," the statement concluded.
CNN cannot confirm the IDF's comments independently.
According to a different family member in the video, ten of his relatives had been slain in the airstrike. These family members had initially fled Khan Younis, where several of them had earlier lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike. Now, these remaining few who had sought safety in Rafah have also perished in this airstrike overnight.
"They were asleep in their homes when the airstrike occurred at about 12:20 am," he told CNN. "Gaza is no longer safe. The entire Gaza Strip is a target."
He implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cease the conflict, declaring "we want to live. We want peace. We've had enough Arab bloodshed."
An additional eyewitness in the video stated that a five-day-old boy named Ghaith Abu Rayya was amongst the casualties. Footage shows him uncovering the baby's body in a small bag, in tears, and announcing that the child's body had been mutilated.
"We're all alone. No one cares about us," he cried out, then opened another body bag nearby and lamented, "My beloved, Ramy," referring to Ghaith's 33-year-old father.
Several men carried in one more body bag, which bore the name "Ahmad Saleem Abu Taha" on it. The grieving crowd began crying in anguish as one woman cupped the lifeless face, still exposed from the bag, stating, "Oh his smell. Oh God. Farewell, darling."
The casualties count in the Gaza Strip has risen to at least 34,454 over these 205 days of war between Israel and Hamas, as announced by the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Sunday. The ministry does not distinguish the casualties between civilians and Hamas fighters.
CNN cannot independently corroborate the ministry's casualty figures due to Gaza's lack of access by international media.
Reporting by Tareq Elhelou from Rafah, and by CNN's Kareem Khadder, Zeena Saifi, and Abeer Salman from Jerusalem.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
