The White House appeared to justify an Israeli raid on displaced Palestinians in Rafah that hit a tent camp and killed at least 45 people, including many women and children.

In a statement about the massacre, a White House national security spokesman called it "heartbreaking," but also said Israel had the "right" to go after Hamas and supported Israeli claims that the raid also killed two Hamas fighters.

The spokesman said, according to what CNN reported: “The devastating images that followed the Israeli army’s raid on Rafah last night, which resulted in the death of dozens of innocent Palestinians, are heartbreaking,” but “Israel has the right to go after Hamas, and we understand that this strike killed two people.” "A senior Hamas terrorist responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians."

According to Doctors Without Borders, the Israeli raid hit a camp in western Rafah that had been classified as a “safe area” by the Israeli army. The Gaza Ministry of Health said that among the dead were at least 12 women, eight children and three elderly people.

Three other bodies were burned beyond recognition. Footage that appeared on the Internet showed large fires in the camp and the recovery of badly burned bodies. One video showed a man carrying the body of a decapitated child.

Axios reported that the United States is assessing whether or not the massacre crossed President Biden's "red line," although it is not clear whether he has already set that line. After Biden warned that he would prevent Israel from receiving heavy bombs if it launched a major attack on “population centers” in Rafah, the United States ended up supporting the Israeli attack on the city.

After Israel initially claimed the Rafah massacre was a targeted attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "tragic mistake" and said Israel would investigate the attack. Israeli officials have previously claimed that they will investigate civilian casualties, but there is usually no follow-up, and the United States appears happy to remain ignorant of Israeli war crimes.

Earlier this month, the US State Department issued a report that said Israel was likely violating US and international law in Gaza with US-supplied weapons, but claimed there was insufficient evidence to prove this. The claim that there is no evidence allows the Biden administration to continue shipping weapons to Israel.