Germany calls for investigation after Israeli airstrike on refugee camp in Rafah

Germany on Monday called for a “swift” investigation into an airstrike on tents housing displaced people in Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip.

"The images of charred bodies, including children, from the airstrike in Rafah are unbearable," the Foreign Ministry said on X.

"The exact circumstances must be clarified and an IDF investigation launched swiftly. The civilian population in Gaza must urgently be better protected," it added.

At least 45 people, mostly women and children, were killed and nearly 250 others injured in an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah on Sunday.

The attack comes despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which killed around 1,200 people.

The military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.