Negotiations for an exchange deal and ceasefire in Gaza are set to begin tomorrow, Tuesday. Israeli broadcasting authorities revealed that Israel has presented two offers, while sources accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing any potential deal even before it could be finalized. The negotiations come amid statements, pressures, and an intensification of Israeli military actions.
Following the bombing in Rafah, a bomb-laden bus exploded in the Holon area, south of Tel Aviv, resulting in an initial report of one death and several injuries. Hours after the bombing of tents in Rafah, Israeli artillery continued to shell the Shabura refugee camp and locations in southern and central Rafah city. Palestinian media reported ongoing Israeli bombardment on the Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, resulting in deaths as well as in the neighborhoods of Al-Sabra, Al-Zeitoun, and Tel Al-Hawa in Gaza City.
Displaced individuals in the Al-Salam camp in the Mawasi area of Rafah, which the Israeli army categorizes as "safe" in southern Gaza, were devastated by airstrikes targeting their tents on Sunday night, igniting fires in the tents and burning many of the victims. The number of casualties from the bombardment rose to 40, according to the Civil Defense in Gaza, which also noted that a large number of the dead and injured were women and children. Palestinian media reported that Israel targeted tents of displaced persons near storage facilities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafah.
The Israeli army quickly announced that it had carried out strikes in conjunction with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), killing Yaseen Rabi, the head of Hamas’s West Bank office, and Khaled Najjar, a movement leader and head of the West Bank office, in strikes in the Tel Sultan area northwest of Rafah. Army spokesman Avichai Adraee stated on the platform "X": "Reports have indicated injuries among several uninvolved civilians due to the strike and a fire that broke out afterward, with details of the incident under review."
On Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated that it has no fixed communication lines with its staff on the ground in Rafah, adding, "We are unable to confirm their locations, and we are extremely concerned for their safety and all the displaced individuals seeking refuge in this area."
The airstrikes sparked angry reactions; Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the Israeli attack on the tents of displaced persons in Rafah, describing it as "a massacre that requires international intervention." The Palestinian news agency clarified that the tents were located in a newly established camp in northwestern Rafah, and sources reported that Israeli aircraft launched about eight missiles at the tents, incinerating those inside.
