ANKARA

Palestinian civilians trapped in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah are facing genocide amid an Israeli onslaught in the southern Gaza Strip, municipal authorities warned on Monday.

“Tel al-Sultan is subjected to genocide as thousands of civilians, including children, women, and elderly people, remain trapped under heavy Israeli bombardment, with no means of escape,” the Rafah Municipality said in a statement.

“Palestinian families are trapped among the rubble, without water, food, or medicine, amid a complete collapse of health services."

The municipality warned that Palestinians injured in Israeli attacks “are left to bleed to death, while children die of hunger and thirst under siege and continuous bombardment."

The Israeli army ordered residents of the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah to evacuate on Sunday, forcing thousands to flee ahead of attacks in the area.

Tel Aviv also launched an intensive aerial campaign in the area Sunday night, killing and injuring several people.

The Israeli army has killed more than 700 Palestinians and injured over 1,000 since launching a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza last Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,200 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.