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At least 50 people have been killed and dozens more injured by an Israeli airstrike on tents for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, according to the Gaza health authorities.
The health ministry said that most of those killed and injured in Rafah were women and children, in an area where thousands of people had been instructed to take shelter in the southern region of the besieged enclave. “Numerous others were trapped in flaming debris,” said officials.
The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza‘s 2.3 million population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.
Confirming the assault, the Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound and that the strike was carried with “precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence”.
It added: “The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review.”
At least 35 have been killed including women and children (Reuters)
Graphic footage from the scene shared by the Gaza health ministry showed widespread destruction. The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah was receiving an influx of casualties, and that other hospitals also were taking in a large number of patients.
The airstrike hit an area just 500 metres away from a shelter run by the UN’s agency for Palestinian aid (UNRWA).
Tamara Alrifai, a UNRWA spokesperson, told The Independent: “We have had almost no communication with our team in Gaza, save for a quick patchy one with our international staff. We are all very worried about the safety of our Palestinian colleagues in and around Tal al Sultan. The images coming out are totally horrific, and we are seeing reports of mass causalities, including children and women among those killed.
“The images from last night are testament that Gaza is truly hell on earth, and that no place is safe and no one is safe in Gaza.”
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.
A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, about 2km northwest of the city centre. It said the target of the strike was part of what Israel had designated as a “humanitarian area” and had not been subject to Israeli evacuation orders earlier this month.
One Palestinian man, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions, said two members of his family were killed in the airstrike, as well as other people who had moved to the camp from his hometown seeking shelter. “The area was targeted despite being classified as a safe area last Friday by the spokesman of the Israeli army,” he told The Independent.
The charity ActionAid said its activists witnessed the attack, which it described as an “inhumane and barbaric act”. “We are outraged and heartbroken by the recent attacks in West Rafah, where Israeli fighter jets launched eight missiles at makeshift shelters housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) next to UNRWA warehouses stocking vital aid,” the charity said in a statement.
“These shelters were supposed to be safe havens for innocent civilians, yet they became targets of brutal violence. Children, women, and men are being burned alive under their tents and shelters.”
People staying at the camp described the "terrifying" scenes as the strike unfolded.
Eklas, 27, who is originally from north Gaza, said: "People died from the fire. People did not know where to run.
"The fire broke out in the tents. The bodies were burned. I wanted to flee from Rafah to Khan Yunis, but I did not have the money for transportation.
"It terrified us all, more than one explosion shook the place. We do not know whether to leave the camp now or whether to stay.
"We couldn't sleep last night due to fear, horror, and anxiety."
Moamen Shawqi, 27, is displaced in Rafah city and was staying in the camp. He said: "I heard three missiles and a huge, very powerful explosion that shook the place. It appears that the rockets used were incendiary, as fires broke out in the area.
"A terrifying scene. I saw dismembered body parts and charred bodies, very large destruction in the tents of the displaced over a wide area, and all public services in the camp were disrupted, especially drinking water, regular water, and the medical point. It was a difficult night."
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military said eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, setting off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv. There were no reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January.
Israel’s military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and “a number” were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was convening his war cabinet later on Sunday to discuss continued operations in Rafah. Israel argues the UN court’s ruling allows room for some military action there.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Hamas al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to “Zionist massacres against civilians”.
Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip wait near the Rafah border on Sunday (AFP via Getty Images)
Israel says it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area, but its assault has worsened the plight of civilians and caused an international outcry.
On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in Rafah, according to local medical services. The Gaza health ministry identified the dead as civilians.
Israeli tanks have probed around the edges of Rafah near the crossing point from Gaza into Egypt, and residents say they have entered some of its eastern districts, but have not yet entered the city in force since the start of operations in the city earlier this month.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the rockets fired from Rafah “prove that the [IDF] must operate in every place Hamas still operates from”.
Defence minister Yoav Gallant held an operational assessment in Rafah where he was briefed on “troops’ operations above and below the ground, as well as the deepening of operations in additional areas with the aim of dismantling Hamas battalions”, his office said in a statement.
Itamar Ben Gvir, a hardline public security minister who is not part of Israel’s war cabinet, urged the army to hit Rafah harder. “Rafah with full force,” he posted on X.
Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Israel launched the operation after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Earlier on Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. Israel’s military said 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.
But it was not immediately clear if humanitarian groups could access the aid — including medical supplies — because of fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israel’s offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization last week said an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have “disastrous” impact.”
“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom, Gaza‘s main cargo terminal, after a call between US president Joe Biden and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
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At least 50 people have been killed and dozens more injured by an Israeli airstrike on tents for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, according to the Gaza health authorities.
The health ministry said that most of those killed and injured in Rafah were women and children, in an area where thousands of people had been instructed to take shelter in the southern region of the besieged enclave. “Numerous others were trapped in flaming debris,” said officials.
The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza‘s 2.3 million population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.
Confirming the assault, Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound and that the strike was carried with “precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence”.
It added: “The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review.”
At least 35 have been killed including women and children (Reuters)
Graphic footage from the scene shared by the Gaza health ministry showed widespread destruction. The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah was receiving an influx of casualties, and that other hospitals also were taking in a large number of patients.
The airstrike hit an area just 500 metres away from a shelter run by the UN’s agency for Palestinian aid (UNRWA).
Tamara Alrifai, a UNRWA spokesperson, told The Independent: “We have had almost no communication with our team in Gaza, save for a quick patchy one with our international staff. We are all very worried about the safety of our Palestinian colleagues in and around Tal al Sultan. The images coming out are totally horrific, and we are seeing reports of mass causalities, including children and women among those killed.
“The images from last night are testament that Gaza is truly hell on earth, and that no place is safe and no one is safe in Gaza.”
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.
A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, about 2km northwest of the city centre. It said the target of the strike was part of what Israel had designated as a “humanitarian area” and had not been subject to Israeli evacuation orders earlier this month.
The charity ActionAid said its activists witnessed the attack, which it described as an “inhumane and barbaric act”. “We are outraged and heartbroken by the recent attacks in West Rafah, where Israeli fighter jets launched eight missiles at makeshift shelters housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) next to UNRWA warehouses stocking vital aid,” the charity said in a statement.
“These shelters were supposed to be safe havens for innocent civilians, yet they became targets of brutal violence. Children, women, and men are being burned alive under their tents and shelters.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military said eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, setting off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv. There were no reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January.
Israel’s military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and “a number” were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was convening his war cabinet later on Sunday to discuss continued operations in Rafah. Israel argues the UN court’s ruling allows room for some military action there.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Hamas al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to “Zionist massacres against civilians”.
Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip wait near the Rafah border on Sunday (AFP via Getty Images)
Israel says it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area, but its assault has worsened the plight of civilians and caused an international outcry.
On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in Rafah, according to local medical services. The Gaza health ministry identified the dead as civilians.
Israeli tanks have probed around the edges of Rafah near the crossing point from Gaza into Egypt, and residents say they have entered some of its eastern districts, but have not yet entered the city in force since the start of operations in the city earlier this month.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the rockets fired from Rafah “prove that the [IDF] must operate in every place Hamas still operates from”.
Defence minister Yoav Gallant held an operational assessment in Rafah where he was briefed on “troops’ operations above and below the ground, as well as the deepening of operations in additional areas with the aim of dismantling Hamas battalions”, his office said in a statement.
Itamar Ben Gvir, a hardline public security minister who is not part of Israel’s war cabinet, urged the army to hit Rafah harder. “Rafah with full force,” he posted on X.
Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Israel launched the operation after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Earlier on Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. Israel’s military said 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.
But it was not immediately clear if humanitarian groups could access the aid — including medical supplies — because of fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israel’s offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization last week said an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have “disastrous” impact.”
“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom, Gaza‘s main cargo terminal, after a call between US president Joe Biden and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
More than 2,000 people have been buried by a massive landslide in northern Papua New Guinea, the country's disaster agency has said.
The landslide levelled the mountainous Kaokalam village in Enga Province - about 370 miles (600km) northwest of the capital Port Moresby.
It hit the Pacific nation at around 3am local time on Friday (6pm on Thursday UK time), and the United Nations had earlier said it estimated 670 people had been killed. Local officials had initially put the number of dead at 100 or more.
Image:People search through a landslide in Yambali village. Pic: Kafuri Yaro/UNDP Papua New Guinea via AP
The Papua New Guinea national disaster centre said the landslide had buried more than 2,000 people.
"The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country," an official from the national disaster centre said in a letter to the United Nations.
Earlier, Serhan Aktoprak, head of the United Nations' International Organisation for Migration mission on the island nation, said the figure of 670 deaths was based on calculations by local officials that more than 150 homes had been buried. The previous estimate was 60 homes.
"They are estimating that more than 670 people [are] under the soil at the moment," he said.
More than 4,000 people were likely impacted by the disaster, humanitarian group CARE Australia said earlier.
It said the area was "a place of refuge for those displaced by [nearby] conflicts".
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Image:Pic: New Porgera Limited/Reuters
Image:Pic: New Porgera Limited/Reuters
About six villages were affected by the landslide in the province's Mulitaka region, according to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Three bodies were pulled from an area where 50 to 60 homes were destroyed. Six people, including a child, were pulled from the rubble alive, the UN's Papua New Guinea office said.
But hopes of finding more survivors were diminishing.
Image:Villagers use heavy machinery to search through the landslide. Pic: AP
Image:Yambali was among the villages affected. Pic: Mohamud Omer/International Organisation for Migration via AP
The landslide left debris up to eight metres deep across 200 sq km (77 sq miles), cutting off road access, which was making relief efforts difficult. Helicopters were the only way to reach the area.
Survivors searched through tonnes of earth and rubble by hand looking for missing relatives while a first emergency convoy delivered food, water and other provisions on Saturday.
However, Mr Aktoprak added: "Hopes to take the people out alive from the rubble have diminished now."
In February, at least 26 men were killed in Enga Province in an ambush amid tribal violence that prompted Prime Minister James Marape to give arrest powers to the country's military.
Mr Marape has said disaster officials, the defence force and the department of works and highways were assisting with relief and recovery efforts.
Image:A damaged house after the landslide. Pic: Reuters
Image:Locals carry their belongings away from the scene of the landslide. Pic: Reuters
Papua New Guinea, with a population of around 10 million, is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cities.
It is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world's earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.
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In March, the country was hit by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake.
The US and Australia are building closer defence ties with the strategically important nation, while China is also seeking closer security and economic ties.
US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their governments stood ready to help respond to the landslide.
Turbulence on Doha-Dublin flight leaves 12 injured
The plane was met by emergency services at Dublin Airport on Sunday
Twelve people have been injured due to turbulence on a flight from Doha to Dublin.
The Boeing 787-9 dreamliner experienced turbulence while airborne over Turkey, Dublin Airport's operator DAA said.
Upon landing shortly before 13:00 local time, Qatar Airways flight QR017 was met by emergency services including airport police, ambulance and fire officers.
Six passengers and six crew members reported injuries - of these, eight people have been taken to hospital.
Ireland's National Ambulance Service said it received a pre-alert to attend the airport and was "on site facilitating and supporting the disembarkment of passengers". Dublin Fire Brigade staff and emergency vehicles also attended.
A DAA spokesperson said: "The Dublin Airport team continues to provide full assistance on the ground to passengers and airline staff."
'Panic on everyone's faces'
Passengers described the incident as frightening.
They said the plane seemed to drop out of the air for about five seconds during food-and-drinks service.
One passenger, named Cathal, who was travelling home to Ireland from Doha, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that the seatbelt signs were off during the incident and that his dinner had come off his lap.
"Just food all over the plane, on the ceiling, everywhere," he said.
Another, Paul Mocc, said he saw people hitting the roof of the aircraft.
"I had my seatbelt on at the time, but they were serving food at the time so a lot of the crew were injured."
Mr Mocc added that he saw crew members limping after the incident, some with bandages on, but said that they continued to serve passengers.
He also described seeing one passenger on oxygen with suspected back injuries who had been placed lying down across a number of seats.
Emma Rose Power and Conor Buckley were travelling back to Dublin from Thailand when they were caught up in the incident.
Mr Buckley said he felt the plane drop and a flight attendant went "up in the air".
Ms Power said she was asleep when the plane hit turbulence but described seeing a "look of panic on everyone's faces" when she was woken.
She added that flight attendants had scratches on their faces and one had their arm in a sling afterwards.
'Worst experience flying'
Passenger Tony and his partner Eileen spoke of their relief at Dublin Airport
Another passenger, Eileen, said it was the "worst experience" she ever had on a plane.
Her partner Tony said he had had to hold her down as she had not been wearing her seatbelt and she had been asleep when the aircraft hit turbulence.
"I am not in a hurry to get back on a plane I can tell you," Eileen said.
Qatar Airways told BBC News NI in a statement that "a small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in flight and are now receiving medical attention".
It added: "The matter is now subject to an internal investigation."
The aircraft landed in Dublin Airport on Sunday afternoon
Overall operations at Dublin Airport were unaffected, DAA said. It said the return flight to Doha was scheduled to operate as normal on Sunday afternoon, "albeit with a delay".
The incident follows the death of a 73-year-old British man on a Singapore-bound flight which experienced severe turbulence earlier this week.
More than 100 people were injured, 20 of whom are in intensive care with spinal injuries.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong apologised, offering his “deepest apologies to everyone affected” by the “sudden extreme turbulence”.
Singapore's government has promised a thorough investigation.
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At least 15 people have died, including two children, in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky after violent storms ripped through the region, spawning tornados and leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power during potentially record-breaking heat.
In Texas, multiple tornados were reported throughout the state with one plowing through Cooke County – approximately 50 miles north of Dallas – leaving seven people dead.
“It’s just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe,” Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told the Associated Press.
Approximately 60 to 80 people were injured at an AP Travel Stop and Shell station alongside I-35 after it collapsed, where dozens were sheltering. Those injuries are considered non-life threatening.
The sheriff confirmed that a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were among those killed in Cooke County. The victims also included three family members who were found in a home near Valley View – a rural community close to the Oklahoma border.
Destroyed homes are seen after a deadly tornado rolled through the previous night, Sunday, May 26, 2024, in Valley View, Texas. (AP)
Damaging winds, thunderstorms and two-inch hail pounded areas of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky leaving thousands of residents without power.
At least five people died in Arkansas as a result of the storm – one person in Benton County, local authorities said in a press conference on Sunday, two people in Marion County, the sheriff’s department said, one person in Baxter County, the sheriff’s department said, and a 26-year-old woman who was found outside a home in Boone County, according to AP.
In Oklahoma, at least two people were killed in Mayes County after a tornado with an EF2 ripped through the northeast part of the state.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that one person died in Louisville as a result of the storm.
A man surveys damage to a neighbor's home after a deadly tornado rolled through, Sunday, May 26, 2024, in Valley View, Texas. (AP)
More severe weather is expected to hit the region throughout Sunday and move eastern through Memorial Day. On Saturday, the National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings for parts of the region, advising people to seek shelter as a low-pressure system collided with extreme heat.
As daylight broke on Sunday, residents across the states woke up to downed power lines, destroyed businesses and homes, trees toppled over and more. Search and rescue missions are currently underway.
The NWS Weather Prediction Center warned that the severe storms were shifting east and could bring heavy rain, thunderstorms or hail to parts of the Mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Monday.
Storms currently over the central Plains and Ohio Valley are expected “to grow upscale and merge into a larger complex”, according to the weather warnings, while expanding through parts of Missouri, Illinois, western Kentucky and other neighboring states.
Meanwhile, dangerous and “potentially record-breaking” heat continued to beat down on parts of Texas, the Western Gulf and southern Florida.
