RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Israeli forces fired a missile and a tank shell Wednesday near a large crowd of Palestinians demonstrating against the invasion of a neighboring refugee camp, Israeli security officials said. At least 10 Palestinians were killed, all of them younger than 18, and 36 were in critical condition, Palestinian hospital officials said.
Palestinian witnesses saw a missile land in the middle of the crowd, and TV footage showed a smoke and debris flying as large explosion rocked the packed area.
Dr. Moawiya Hassanain, a senior Palestinian Health Ministry official, said at least 10 people were killed and 50 wounded. Of the wounded, 23 were critically hurt and 13 were in "hopeless" condition." He said most of the wounded were children.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 demonstrators were marching down the busy main street of Rafah town. When the crowd was about a half-mile from the besieged refugee camp, the helicopter and tank began firing, witnesses said.
Israeli military sources said a helicopter and a tank fired one round each close to the crowd after soldiers felt under threat. Palestinian witnesses said four missiles and four tank shells were fired, and that they also heard machine gun fire from tanks.
"We are still checking the event, this is a combat zone filled with explosives devices and it is premature to know exactly what happened this afternoon in Rafah," said an army spokeswoman Maj. Sharon Feingold.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath told The Associated Press the attack was "a terrorist massacre and a terrorist war crime." He said the Palestinians were considering bringing their grievances before an international criminal court.
Associated Press Television News footage showed a large explosion going off in a crowd of demonstrators, followed by Palestinians carrying the injured -- among them several children -- from the scene.
Wounded were evacuated by ambulance, private cars and donkey carts to the Rafah hospital, witnesses said. The hospital stairs and floors were drenched in blood as doctors shouted for help and blood donations. Hospital staff treated the wounded on the floors after quickly running out of beds.
Israeli forces invaded the Tel Sultan neighborhood of the Rafah refugee camp early Tuesday. Twenty-four Palestinians were killed Tuesday and Wednesday during the army's "Operation Rainbow," aimed at hunting down militants and destroying arms-smuggling tunnels.
"We cannot handle the situation, no hospital in the world can handle the situation," said Hassanain, the Health Ministry official. "I got instruction from President Arafat to mobilize all our teams to Rafah immediately and declare a state of emergency all over Gaza Strip hospitals."
He added that the hospital had received numerous body parts and could not yet give an exact death toll.
Shabtai Gold, a spokesman for Physicians for Human Rights, said 12 ambulances from nearby Khan Younis had traveled to Rafah to evacuate the wounded.
