The Rafah Municipality said Monday morning that the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah is being subjected to genocide, with thousands of civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, still trapped under heavy Israeli bombardment, with no means of escape or to deliver their distress calls to the world.

The municipality added in a statement, "Communications have been completely cut off from the neighborhood, and the fate is unknown. Families are trapped in the rubble, without water, food, or medicine, amid a complete collapse of health services. The wounded are being left to bleed to death, and children are dying of hunger and thirst under the siege and relentless bombardment."

The Rafah Municipality confirmed that the fate of the ambulance and civil defense crews remains unknown for more than 36 hours, after contact was lost with them while they were en route to Tel al-Sultan to rescue the wounded. Targeting rescuers and obstructing their work constitutes a heinous war crime and a flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian laws.

It held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for this crime, and held the international community and all relevant parties responsible for their silence and inaction in the face of these massacres.