At least 44 Palestinians killed in Rafah after Israeli airstrikes, including senior Hamas leaders

At least 44 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Rafah early Saturday – just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an attack on the city was inevitable and ordered a combined evacuation plan. The main target of one of the strikes was Ahmed Al-Yaaqoubi, a senior Hamas police official, who the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet confirmed was killed in the attack, the Times of Israel reported. Hamas military operative Iman Rantisi and another officer in Rafah’s secret police department were also killed in the attack, the IDF said. Footage released by the Israeli Air Force purportedly showed the airstrike on the vehicle all three were traveling in. Hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s 2.3 million people fled to the town on the border with Egypt in the past four months after they were displaced by Israel’s ground assault on other parts of the tiny region. Read more at #israel #gaza #rafah #palestine The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: Catch the latest news here: Follow The New York Post on: Twitter - Facebook -