ISTANBUL

Israel’s bombing over the weekend of a camp for displaced people in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza was “intentional,” the only Palestinian American member of the US Congress said Monday.

“This was intentional. You don't accidentally kill massive amounts of children and their families over and over again and get to say, ‘It was a mistake’,” Rashida Tlaib said on X.

“Genocidal maniac Netanyahu told us he wants to ethically cleanse Palestinians. When are you going to believe him @POTUS?” she added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At least 45 people were killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 250 others injured in the Israeli strike on the camp on Sunday.

The attack occurred near the logistics base of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Tal al-Sultan, said the Gaza-based Government Media Office.

Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

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.

The latest attack came 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 Israel-Hamas war before it was invaded on May 6.