GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian group Hamas said on Monday that attacks by Israel in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip are a continuation of "genocide and forced displacement."

More than 100 people were killed due to Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gazan city, according to Palestinian sources, amid international outcry over Israel’s planned ground offensive. The area sits on Gaza's border with Egypt, where Israel forced civilians to evacuate, claiming it was a safe zone.

"The attack confirms the Netanyahu's government is disregarding the International Court of Justice's decisions, which approved urgent measures to halt any actions that could be considered acts of genocide," Azat al-Rashq, a Hamas leader, said on Telegram.

He said the Joe Biden administration, along with Benjamin Netanyahu's government, are fully responsible for the massacre.

He called on the international community to urgently intervene to stop the Israel aggression and crimes against civilians.

Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah as Israel pounded the rest of the enclave since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion. The relentless bombardment has killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction, displacement, and shortage of basic necessities.

The UN court, in its interim ruling last month, ordered provisional measures for Israel’s government to desist from genocidal acts, and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio