4 Palestinians killed in Israel air strike near Rafah

Smoke rises from a point hit during Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza on December 20, 2023 [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency]

An Israeli air strike killed a senior border official and three others in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt today, Hamas and health officials said today, according to Reuters.

The news wire said Israel’s military has indicated it was not involved.

Hamas and health officials said Colonel Bassam Ghaben, director of the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) commercial crossing between Israel and Gaza, and three other Palestinians were killed in the strike near the gate of Rafah crossing.

Asked for comment, an Israeli military spokesperson said: “We checked this, and it’s not an incident that is familiar to us.”

Since launching its genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly denied committing massacres and bombing civilians even when video evidence is available to prove its culpability.

READ: Israel’s Netanyahu vows to continue Gaza war ‘until the end’

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