12 February 2024 Rafah strikes
| 12 February 2024 Rafah strikes | |
|---|---|
| Part of the background of the Rafah offensive and the Gaza war | |
| Location | Rafah, southern Gaza Strip |
| Coordinates | 31°16′21″N 34°15′31″E / 31.27250°N 34.25861°E |
| Date | 12 February 2024 |
Attack type | Airstrikes, massacre |
| Deaths | 83–100+ |
| Injured | Unknown |
| Perpetrators | Israeli Air Force |
On 12 February 2024, Israel Defense Forces launched an assault on Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip, killing over 83 people. The airstrikes destroyed at least one mosque and multiple inhabited homes, killing most or all of their occupants.
Israeli government sources linked the airstrikes to its hostage rescue operation, Operation Golden Hand, describing the airstrikes as a diversion or "covering fire." Israel freed two hostages in that operation. The strikes came as Israel proposed a ground invasion of the city, which caused international concern.
Casualties from the Israeli bombings began to reported by 2:30am and 20 were confirmed dead by 5:30am. The total number of deaths was estimated as at least 94 people according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society has estimated the death toll to be over 100. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, which pulled information from Rafah hospitals the dead included at least 27 children and 22 women. The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor compiled a list of 83 people killed, of whom 29 were children and another third were women (as identified by their names).