UN Security Council meets on Rafah, Israel widens offensive
At least 45 people killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza refugee camp
Hundreds of thousands have fled Rafah in three weeks
The United Nations Security Council has met for an emergency session on the situation in Rafah, as journalists reported fresh attacks on the southern Gaza town. The Israeli military said it had taken control of parts of Rafah, while hundreds of thousands of people have fled the town in the past three weeks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said an "incalculable error" was made after reports of heavy casualties in a refugee camp in Rafah. The Palestinian Authority has said at least 45 people, including women and children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people.
Witnesses said the strike hit the camp as people slept, and that rescue workers were struggling to pick through the rubble and reach the wounded. The attack came as the Israeli military widened its offensive in Gaza, with air strikes and ground operations targeting Hamas positions.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said more than 1,900 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began on July 8, the vast majority of them civilians. The United Nations has said the Israeli military's actions may amount to war crimes.
The Security Council is expected to discuss a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to allow aid into Gaza. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor said Israel would not accept any resolution that did not address the threat posed by Hamas.
The United States is expected to support the resolution, but it is unclear whether it will have enough support to pass. Russia and China have both expressed reservations about the resolution, and it is likely to face a veto from the United States if it does not have the support of all 15 members of the Security Council.
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