The Palestinian presidency and "Hamas" accused Israel of committing a "massacre" by attacking a center for displaced people near Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, and the Israeli army said it struck a compound where "important terrorists" were operating, France reported press, BTA reported.
"This brutal massacre carried out by the Israeli occupation forces is in violation of all international resolutions," said a statement from the Palestinian presidency, accusing Israel of "deliberately targeting" the Barkasat Displaced Persons Agency, run by the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the northwest of Rafah.
According to the authorities of the Islamist group "Hamas", which rules the Gaza Strip, at least 35 people were killed in the bombing and dozens of others were injured.
"In light of the horrific Zionist massacre carried out tonight by the criminal occupation army against the tents of the displaced, we call on the masses of our people in the West Bank, in Jerusalem, in the occupied territories and abroad to rise up and march on angry processions," the Islamist movement's statement reads.
For its part, the Israeli army said that one of its planes had "struck a compound of "Hamas" in Rafah, where important terrorists have operated", including two of the leaders of the West Bank movement - Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar.
"The strike was carried out against targets legitimate under international law, using accurate munitions and based on accurate intelligence indicating the use of the area by Hamas, the statement said. It also said the armed forces were "aware of reports that several civilians in the area had been injured.
Since May 7, the Israeli army has intensified operations to destroy the last battalions of "Hamas" in Rafah, AFP recalls. Fighting continued over the weekend, although the International Court of Justice ruled on Friday ordering Israel to suspend operations in the area, which is essential for humanitarian aid to enter.
Late on Sunday, strikes were also reported in other areas of Rafah. The Kuwaiti hospital said it had received the bodies of three people, including a pregnant woman.
At the same time, the human rights organization "Amnesty International" asked the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into "war crimes" against Israel because of three Israeli airstrikes in the central and southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to the organization, they killed 44 Palestinian civilians in April, including 32 children.
The strikes took place on April 16 in the Magazi refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip and on April 19 and 20 in Rafah.
"These devastating strikes have destroyed families and claimed the lives of 32 children," Erica Guevara-Rosas, an Amnesty official, said in a press release, saying the NGO's investigation had provided "substantial evidence pointing to illegal attacks by the Israeli army".
Representatives of the organization spoke with 17 survivors and witnesses, visited the hospital where the wounded are being treated, and photographed fragments of ammunition. In all three cases, the organization "found no evidence of the presence of military targets in or around the sites that were attacked by the Israeli army," it added, stressing that it had not yet received answers to its questions from the Israeli army.