An Israeli military operation to rescue a captured soldier in Rafah
is almost certain to be a focus of UN investigators and rights groups
looking into possible war crimes by Israel.
Just two hours after a temporary cease-fire came to effect on Friday August 1, amid fear that Hamas had captured an Israeli soldier, the Israeli military sealed off the Rafah area in the Gaza strip and began shelling.
Over the next eight hours, soldiers fired about 500 artillery shells, according to an Israeli officer.
The military said it also launched about 100 airstrikes against targets in Rafah on August 1 and 2, but did not provide a breakdown for each day.
The priority was to rescue the captured soldier.
The Rafah operation highlights a key concern: the treatment of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military.
A Palestinian rights group argues that the Israeli army violated the rules of war, which include giving adequate warning to civilians, using proportionate force and distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
By the end of the operation, 190 Palestinians were dead, according to a list of names compiled by two Gaza human rights groups, including 14 members of the Mahmoum family.
Unlike in many other Gaza battles, civilians were caught by surprise by the sudden fire and sealed exits.
"We were helping people and they (the Israeli) were striking us with the F16. We couldn't help the civilians that were injured, children and women, what happened was not normal," said Rafah resident, Ghassan Bilbesi.
"That Friday was surely ominous, the images that we saw will live with us forever."
The assault began sometime before 10 am (0700GMT).
Anam Mahmoum Hamad, had just entered a small alley for cover when the wall of a house collapsed from a drone strike.
She had been at the hospital for about two hours when medics brought in the lower body of her 4-year-old son, Anas.
She said she recognised his clothes.
"I felt that my 4 year old son was killed by an F16 airstrike. How can you launch an airstrike from an F16 and split a child in two?"" said Hamad.
The heavy Israeli fire continued on Saturday August 2, including airstrikes on homes that killed several dozen people, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Late on August 2, the suspected capture of the soldier turned out to be a false alarm, and the Rafah episode is one of several under internal military review.
After forensic analysis of remains found in a tunnel, it was determined the soldier was killed in a firefight and declared dead.
The Israeli military confirmed that Rafah residents were barred from leaving the area on August 1, but declined to comment on the war crime allegations.
It denied firing into a densely populated area without regard for civilians, saying precise airstrikes hit targets linked to militants and artillery - though inherently inaccurate - was only aimed at open fields.
In all, 121 Palestinians were killed in Rafah on August 1 and 69 on August 2, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan rights group, which compiled the names.
The dead included 55 children, 36 women and five men over the age of 60.
A spokesman for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said on Sunday that the incident is currently under investigation.
Just two hours after a temporary cease-fire came to effect on Friday August 1, amid fear that Hamas had captured an Israeli soldier, the Israeli military sealed off the Rafah area in the Gaza strip and began shelling.
Over the next eight hours, soldiers fired about 500 artillery shells, according to an Israeli officer.
The military said it also launched about 100 airstrikes against targets in Rafah on August 1 and 2, but did not provide a breakdown for each day.
The priority was to rescue the captured soldier.
The Rafah operation highlights a key concern: the treatment of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military.
A Palestinian rights group argues that the Israeli army violated the rules of war, which include giving adequate warning to civilians, using proportionate force and distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
By the end of the operation, 190 Palestinians were dead, according to a list of names compiled by two Gaza human rights groups, including 14 members of the Mahmoum family.
Unlike in many other Gaza battles, civilians were caught by surprise by the sudden fire and sealed exits.
"We were helping people and they (the Israeli) were striking us with the F16. We couldn't help the civilians that were injured, children and women, what happened was not normal," said Rafah resident, Ghassan Bilbesi.
"That Friday was surely ominous, the images that we saw will live with us forever."
The assault began sometime before 10 am (0700GMT).
Anam Mahmoum Hamad, had just entered a small alley for cover when the wall of a house collapsed from a drone strike.
She had been at the hospital for about two hours when medics brought in the lower body of her 4-year-old son, Anas.
She said she recognised his clothes.
"I felt that my 4 year old son was killed by an F16 airstrike. How can you launch an airstrike from an F16 and split a child in two?"" said Hamad.
The heavy Israeli fire continued on Saturday August 2, including airstrikes on homes that killed several dozen people, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Late on August 2, the suspected capture of the soldier turned out to be a false alarm, and the Rafah episode is one of several under internal military review.
After forensic analysis of remains found in a tunnel, it was determined the soldier was killed in a firefight and declared dead.
The Israeli military confirmed that Rafah residents were barred from leaving the area on August 1, but declined to comment on the war crime allegations.
It denied firing into a densely populated area without regard for civilians, saying precise airstrikes hit targets linked to militants and artillery - though inherently inaccurate - was only aimed at open fields.
In all, 121 Palestinians were killed in Rafah on August 1 and 69 on August 2, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan rights group, which compiled the names.
The dead included 55 children, 36 women and five men over the age of 60.
A spokesman for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said on Sunday that the incident is currently under investigation.
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