Netanyahu says Israel investigating deadly ‘incident’ near Rafah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel was investigating “an incident” in which scores of civilians were killed in Israeli airstrikes near the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

“In Rafah, we have evacuated about one million civilians,” Netanyahu said on Monday in an address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem.

“Tragically, despite our immense efforts to avoid harming non-combatants, an incident occurred yesterday. We are investigating it thoroughly and will learn from it, as is our policy and longstanding conduct.”

“For us, any non-combatant hurt is a tragedy, for Hamas, it is a strategy,” Netanyahu stated. “That is the core difference.”

The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza said 45 people were killed and dozens injured in the airstrike that hit tents housing displaced people on Sunday.

Most of the victims of the airstrike were women and children, the health authority said, describing the incident as a “massacre.”