At least twenty killed in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah | War Israel and Hamas

Israel bombed three houses in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip where many Palestinian refugees reside.

News channel Al Jazeera reports that five children are among the dead. Furthermore, nine victims are said to belong to the same family. Air strikes on Gaza City are said to have claimed another seven lives, the news channel writes.

Rafah has been a regular target of air strikes in recent weeks. Israel has long been threatening a large-scale offensive in the city. That offensive has so far been postponed under pressure from the United States. Like many other countries, the US fears a humanitarian disaster in the densely populated area.

For the time being, Washington has succeeded in exerting pressure on Israel. The US announced last weekend that Israel has agreed to first report any attack on Rafah to its most important ally. But pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is increasing. Several ministers in his government are threatening to drop him if he calls off the promised attack on Rafah.