35 killed in Israeli strike on tent camp near Rafah

The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza said Sunday that at least 35 people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on a centre for displaced people near the Palestinian territory's far-southern city of Rafah.

"The Israeli occupation committed a horrific massacre by bombarding intensively and intentionally the UNRWA's Barkasat displacement centre northwest of Rafah Governorate," the office said in a statement, referring to the UN Palestinian refugee agency.

The strikes had "led to the death of 35 martyrs and dozens of injured", it said.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes had killed and wounded at least 50 people in the area, where it said 100,000 displaced people live.

The Israeli army said it would respond "as soon as possible" when asked for comment about the incident.

The ICRC said one of its field hospitals was receiving an "influx of casualties seeking care for injuries and burns" and reported that other hospitals were also receiving a large number of patients.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the attack in Rafah as a "massacre", holding the United States responsible for aiding Israel with weapons and money.

"The air strikes burnt the tents, the tents are melting and the people's bodies are also melting," said one of the residents who arrived at the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah.

"Our teams are doing their best to save lives," the ICRC said in a statement.

Strikes in other areas of Rafah were also reported late Sunday, with the Kuwait Specialized Hospital saying it had received the bodies of three people, including a pregnant woman.

Israel launched a ground operation on Rafah in early May despite widespread opposition over concerns for civilians sheltering there.