The United Nations Security Council has convened an emergency meeting on May 28, following Israeli strike on a displaced persons camp in Rafah, Gaza, that killed scores including women and children.

According to AFP, Algeria requested the closed-door meeting. Algeria is a non-permanent member of the UNSC.

Israel was condemned by the entire community for its strike on Rafah, which claimed 45 lives. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu described the strike as a “Grave mistake’” and stated that Israel was investigating the effects on civilians.

The US on Monday, May 27 lamented the “devastating” and “heartbreaking” photos from an IDF missile strike carried out the previous night, which targeted two senior Hamas officials.

“Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians, but, as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians,” said a statement from a National Security Council spokesperson.

Hamas health authorities said some 45 people were killed in the strike, which also engulfed several tents and shelters where thousands of people were taking shelter in the area — many of whom after having been repeatedly displaced due to the war.

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.

About 36,000 Palestinians have been killed and 80,420 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive against Hamas since October 7, according to the Gaza health ministry run by the terror group.