JERUSALEM — A deadly Israeli airstrike on a tent camp in Rafah late Sunday drew widespread international condemnation Monday — focusing further scrutiny on Israel’s controversial offensive against Hamas in the south and the desperate plight of Gaza’s civilians.
Washington
Eyewitnesses describe horrific scenes after Israeli strike on Rafah camp
Tal al-Sultan tent camp as of May 24
SAMUEL GRANADOS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Tal al-Sultan tent camp as of May 24
SAMUEL GRANADOS/THE WASHINGTON POST
In an address to parliament Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Rafah strike a “tragic accident.” It was a departure from public statements by the Israeli military, which had previously referred to a targeted strike on a Hamas compound using “precise munitions” and “precise intelligence.”
The Israel Defense Forces said two militants were killed in the attack, including the commander of Hamas operations in the West Bank. “There were many measures taken before the attack to minimize harm to non-involved people,” the IDF said Monday, adding that the incident was under investigation.
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A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said the images from Rafah were “heartbreaking.” “Israel has a right to go after Hamas,” the spokesperson said, noting the killing of the two militants, but “Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.”
The United States has yet to weigh in publicly on Friday’s ruling by the International Court of Justice ordering an immediate halt to Israel’s offensive in Rafah. Nearly a million Palestinians have been displaced this month, the vast majority from Rafah, which had been a place of last refuge for tens of thousands of families.
On Sunday night it was the site of one of the most horrifying scenes of the war.
Mohammad Al-Haila, 35, was headed to buy some goods from a local vendor when he saw a huge flash followed by successive booms. Then he saw the flames.
“I felt like my body was freezing from fear,” Haila, who was displaced from central Gaza, told The Washington Post by phone.
He ran toward the area to search for relatives.
“I saw flames rising, charred bodies, people running from everywhere and calls for help getting louder,” he said. “We were powerless to save them.”
Haila lost seven relatives in the attack. The oldest was 70 years old. Four were children.
“We were not able to identify them until this morning because of the charred bodies,” he said. “The faces were eroded, and the features were completely disappeared.”
Ahmed Al-Rahl, 30, still hears the screams.
He and his family were preparing for bed when they heard several large explosions, said Rahl, who is displaced from the north. Their tent shook. Mass confusion took over the camp.
“No one knew what to do,” he said. “Children who were with their families in those tents rushed to us, asking us to save their parents who were burning.”
Rahl had a fire extinguisher and rushed to help.
“I didn’t know what to do to help people as they burned,” he said. Around him there were “dismembered bodies, charred bodies, children without heads, bodies as if they had melted,” he said.
There was no water to extinguish the fire, which consumed the cloth and plastic tents. Gas canisters used for cooking exploded, Rahl said.
“I saw with my own eyes someone burning and crying for help, and I could not save his life,” he said.
Mohammad Abu Shahma, 45, rushed to check on his extended family when he heard that the fire was spreading. His brother’s tent was about a quarter-mile from the worst of the carnage. Shahma figured he must be safe.
He found his brother, a father of 10, and his 3-year-old niece, Palestine, dead. There was blood everywhere, Shahma said. Shrapnel had struck his brother in the chest and neck; the child had been hit in the head. Another daughter, 9-year-old Jana, was injured.
Around 10 p.m. Sunday, the dead and wounded began pouring into the area’s few field clinics.
Twenty-eight people were dead on arrival at a temporary emergency trauma center run by Doctors Without Borders less than two miles from the strike site, according to Samuel Johann, the group’s emergency coordinator in Gaza. The clinic treated 180 additional patients with severe burns, shrapnel wounds, missing body parts and other traumatic injuries, he said.
Farther west, at a clinic run by International Medical Corps, plastic surgeon Ahmed al-Mokhallalati described family members searching desperately for loved ones.
One little girl, he said, was asking everyone she passed if they had seen her parents. Mokhallalati said they were among the dead.
Many people came in with horrific wounds and required amputations, he said, as shrapnel flew across the camp and pierced people’s tents. Over a grueling, relentless night, he and his colleagues conducted at least 12 hours-long surgeries, Mokhallalati said.
They ran out of medical gloves, gowns and other basic supplies to treat open wounds. “We are running out of everything, literally,” he said
Patients needing further care had few places to go, he said. Rafah’s two main hospitals have been evacuated. The smaller Kuwait hospital said Monday that it had to close after repeated attacks. One of the only options left was al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, a rough ride away in central Gaza.
Mokhallalati recounted operating on a 6-year-old girl with deep shrapnel wounds that stretched from her thigh to her abdomen. She died early Monday morning, he said.
The makeshift camp in Tal al-Sultan was outside Israel’s designated evacuation zone in Rafah, and residents were not ordered to leave before the strikes.
The area was at the edge of, but not included in, a map of humanitarian zones provided by the IDF online and in recent announcements. Gazans, however, short on bandwidth and cellphone battery power, often rely for information on word-of-mouth and Arabic-language pamphlets dropped by the IDF. Residents complain that the evacuation orders and accompanying maps are confusingly worded and difficult to follow. Many believed they were in a safe place.
In its statement, the IDF said “the attack did not take place in the humanitarian area in Al Mawasi,” referring to a coastal region northwest of Rafah where it has ordered evacuees.
New arrivals to Mawasi have told The Post the area is desolate, overcrowded and devoid of even the most basic services. Some families, many who have already been uprooted numerous times during the war, decided to stay in Rafah.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he was “outraged by the Israeli strikes that have killed many displaced persons” and called for “an immediate cease-fire.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly also demanded a cease-fire, saying, “This level of human suffering must come to an end.” A spokesperson for the ministry said the country was following up on reports that two Canadian citizens were among the dead in Rafah.
The Foreign Ministry in Germany, one of Israel’s most stalwart supporters in Europe, said in a statement on X on Monday that the images from the attack were “unbearable” and that “the civilian population in Gaza must urgently be better protected.”
Shahma spent Monday packing up. His extended family of 50 people had decided that women and children would move to Mawasi, he said, and the men would stay in nearby Khan Younis.
“We did not even find time to grieve for those we lost,” he said. “All that matters to us now is to save those who remain.”
Haila spent the day searching scorched corpses at the clinic in Tal al-Sultan for any sign of his missing family members.
“What we live in this life cannot be described,” he said. It was like being “on the waiting list” to die.
Harb reported from London. Sarah Dadouch in Beirut, Rachel Pannett in Sydney, Niha Masih in Seoul, Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv, Hazem Balousha in Cairo and Tyler Pager in Washington contributed to this report.
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This week, the team brings you stories about how communities including Filipino immigrants, Sephardic Jews and Somalis arrived in the Pacific Northwest
Each week on The Newsfeed, host Paris Jackson and a team of veteran journalists dive deep into one topic and provide impactful reporting, interviews and community insights from sources you can trust. Each day this week, this post will be updated with a new story from the team.
Group hopes to boost recognition for Seattle’s Filipinotown
By Venice Buhain
The group Filipinotown Seattle hopes to make sure that the legacy of Filipino Americans in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District isn’t forgotten.
One of the group’s current projects is pushing for a Filipinotown placemarking sign in the CID.
“Filipino Americans have had a presence here for over 100 years in Seattle,” said Filipinotown Seattle Executive Director Devin Israel Cabanilla.
He said that the signage is important to remind people that “the International District is not just Chinatown. Japantown. Filipinotown is here as well.”
The group held a poll on what signage might look like and where it might be located. It would be similar to the Chinatown sign on South Jackson Street and Fifth Avenue South, or the Wing Luke Museum
In the early 20th century, the area now known as the CID was a hub full of businesses, entertainment, social groups and housing that served Seattle’s growing immigrant population from Asia and elsewhere. The communities all intermingled throughout the CID.
“This area was a central place for Asian Pacific immigrants simply because of segregation,” Cabanilla said.
Because the Philippines was a U.S. territory from 1898 to 1946, Filipino immigrants were unaffected by laws in the 1920s that restricted immigration from Japan or China. Many Filipinos came to study at the University of Washington or to work in burgeoning industries, like lumber, farming, canneries and factories.
While the physical Filipino presence in terms of buildings and storefronts in the CID dwindled in the later 20th century with redevelopment, Seattle Filipinos and Filipino Americans continued to make impacts locally, regionally and nationally.
“It may not have been in terms of storefronts, but our presence has always existed in terms of politics, culture as well,” Cabanilla said.
The Seattle Department of Transportation said it is aware that the group is working on its signage request, but the Department of Neighborhoods has not yet received a formal request. They are also working to develop a clearer process for this and other similar neighborhood signage proposals.
Filipinotown Seattle said it hopes that the sign helps remind Seattle of the CID’s unique designation as a neighborhood shaped by many immigrants and migrants to Seattle.
“Is it Chinatown? Is it Japantown? Is it Little Saigon? It’s all those things. And I think re cultivating that this is a multicultural district, Filipinotown is helping establish: Yes, it’s more than one thing,” Cabanilla said.
Venice Buhain is a multimedia journalist at Cascade PBS. She previously was the Cascade PBS’s associate news editor and education reporter. Venice has also worked for KING 5, The Seattle Globalist and TVW News.
Venice Buhain is a multimedia journalist at Cascade PBS. She previously was the Cascade PBS’s associate news editor and education reporter. Venice has also worked for KING 5, The Seattle Globalist and TVW News.
The state of Washington is getting a seventh temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Marysville Washington Temple was announced Sunday night during a devotional in the Marysville Washington Stake by Elder Hugo E. Martinez, a General Authority Seventy in the church’s United States West Area Presidency.
“We are pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Marysville, Washington,” the First Presidency said in a statement. “The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later. This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and express gratitude for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord.”
The other temples in Washington are the Columbia River, Moses Lake, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver temples.
The church has 214 temples in operation. Plans for another 170 temples have been announced; many of those temples are in various stages of planning and construction.
Sunday’s temple announcement follows the new practice of the church’s First Presidency, which determines where temples will be built — and when and how they will be announced.
The First Presidency directed a General Authority Seventy to announce the first temple in Maine at a fireside there in December.
In January, church President Dallin H. Oaks said the Maine announcement set the pattern for future temple announcements.
“The best place to announce a temple is in that temple district,” he told the Deseret News.
The First Presidency will continue to decide where future temples will be built. It then will “assign someone else to make the announcement in the place where the temple will be built,” he said.
This pattern came to him as a strong impression after he assumed leadership of the church in October, following the death of his friend, President Russell M. Nelson.
This came as a strong impression to him shortly after he assumed the leadership of the church, President Oaks said.
The church remains in the midst of an aggressive temple-building era. President Nelson announced 200 new temples from 2018 to 2025. All but one were announced at general conference.
Five dozen temples are now under construction.
President Oaks now has overseen the announcement of two temples, neither at a general conference.
At the October conference he said that “with the large number of temples now in the very earliest phases of planning and construction, it is appropriate that we slow down the announcement of new temples.”
Ten new temples are scheduled to be dedicated in the next six months.
- May 3: Davao Philippines Temple.
- May 3: Lindon Utah Temple.
- May 31: Bacolod Philippines Temple.
- June 7: Yorba Linda California Temple.
- June 7: Willamette Valley Oregon Temple.
- Aug. 16: Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple.
- Aug. 16: Cleveland Ohio Temple.
- Aug. 30: Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple.
- Oct. 11: Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple.
- Oct. 18: Managua Nicaragua Temple.
Two-thirds of the 170 temples still to be built are outside the United States.
Temples are distinct from the meetinghouses where Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ each Sunday. Temples are closed on Sundays, but they open during the week as sanctuaries where church members go to find peace, make covenants with God and perform proxy ordinances for deceased relatives.
On a perfect day in Seattle for football, Washington took the field inside Husky Stadium for its first scrimmage of spring practice, and ahead of his third season at the helm, Jedd Fisch seemed pleased with the results.
“Guys played and competed their ass off,” he said after the Huskies ran 120 plays. “That’s the type of day we want to have…We have a lot to work on, but we’re excited that today gave us this opportunity.”
The 120 plays had a little bit of everything, but the biggest thing the Huskies showed during the day was that, despite the inexperience that Fisch’s coaching staff is looking to lean on at several positions, there’s plenty of talent littering the roster. The best example of that is sophomore safety Paul Mencke Jr., who had his best practice in a Husky uniform after Fisch announced on Saturday that senior CJ Christian is out for the year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Tuesday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
“Paul’s done a great job of competing and being physical and playing fast, and you could see over these three years, he’s really grown into understanding now the system, and what’s asked of him as a safety,” Fisch said. “I think there’s a lot of in him that he wants to be like (safeties coach Taylor) Mays. He sees himself as a tall, linear, big hitter. So when you have your coach that is known for that type of play, I think Paul has done a great job.”
Mencke was all over the field. Not only did he lay some big hits, just like his safeties coach did during his time at USC, but the former four-star recruit also tallied a pair of pass breakups, an interception in a 7-on-7 period, and multiple strong tackles to hold ball carriers to limited yards.
While the defense did a good job getting pressure throughout the day and making the quarterbacks hold the ball with different looks on the back end, with safety Alex McLaughlin, linebacker Donovan Robinson, and edge rusher Logan George all among the players credited for a sack, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. got an opportunity to show off how he’s improved ahead of his junior year.
Early on, he showed off his well-known speed and athleticism, making the correct decision on a read option, pulling the ball and scampering for a 25-yard gain before displaying his touch. Throughout the day, his favorite target was junior receiver Rashid Williams, whom he found on several layered throws of 15-plus yards in the various scrimmage periods of practice.
On a day when every able-bodied member of the team was able to get several reps of live action, here are some of the other noteworthy plays from the day.
Spring practice notebook
- Freshman cornerback Jeron Jones was unable to participate in the scrimmage and was spotted working off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing their injuries.
- The running backs delivered a pair of big blows on the day. First, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was on the receiving end of a big hit from redshirt freshman Quaid Carr before the former three-star recruit ripped off a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play. Later on, every player on offense had a lot of fun cheering on freshman Ansu Sanoe after he leveled Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, letting the sophomore linebacker hear all about it when the play was whistled dead.
- Sophomore wide receiver Justice Williams put together a strong day with several contested catches, showing off his strong hands and 6-foot-4 frame, including a 25-yard catch and run off a drag route from backup quarterback Elijah Brown.
- Of all the tackles for a loss the Huskies were able to rack up throughout the day, two stood out. First, junior defensive tackle Elinneus Davis burst through the middle of the line to wrap up freshman running back Brian Bonner. Later on, freshman outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean wasn’t even touched as he shot through a gap in the offensive line to track down a play from behind, letting the entire offensive sideline know about the play on his way back to his own bench.
- The Huskies experimented with several defensive line combinations on Saturday, and for the first time this spring, it felt like freshman Derek Colman-Brusa took the majority of his reps alongside someone other than Davis, who he said has taken on an older brother role to help mentor the top-ranked in-state prospect in the 2026 class.
“Elinneus is a phenomenal guy. Great work ethic. He’s kind of taken on that older brother mentor for me. He’s been a great help just to learn plays and learn the scheme. Can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
- Ball State transfer Darin Conley took a handful of reps with the first team, while rotating with Colman-Brusa, who got a lot of work in alongside Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts.
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