DUBAI, May 27. /TASS/. The Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip may complicate efforts toward mediating a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave and releasing refugees being held by the radical movement Hamas, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said.

The State of Qatar, a mediator in talks between Israel and Hamas, is concerned "that the bombardment would complicate the ongoing mediation efforts, and hinder reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners and detainees; hence exacerbating further the effects of this war and its repercussions on regional and international security," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack on Rafah as "a serious violation" of international law that it said would "double the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged Strip." Qatar’s diplomatic agency also called on the world community "to take urgent action to prevent the commitment of a genocide," as it emphasized the need for the Israeli authorities "to adhere to the decision of the International Court of Justice" calling for putting an end to the offensive in Rafah.

Last night, Israel delivered a strike on Rafah, with at least eight missiles hitting a refugee camp in the city’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood. At least 40 civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported. As a result of the attack, a fire broke out in the tent camp which was recently established near a warehouse of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).