"The images from the field are horrific and point to no apparent change in the methods and means of warfare employed by Israel, which have already caused so many civilian deaths," Türk said in a statement.

The official said that this attack - which, according to Palestinian authorities, left at least 50 dead - "underscores once again that there is literally no safe place in Gaza".

Türk said he registered the announcement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that they will investigate what the Israeli Prime Minister called "a tragic incident," adding: "What is shockingly clear is that, by striking an area such as this, densely populated with civilians, such an outcome was entirely foreseeable".

"It is essential that such reviews lead to accountability and to changes in policies and practices," the High Commissioner urged.

The Israeli attack occurred hours after eight rockets were fired at Tel Aviv from Rafah.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas declared that it had fired "a large barrage of rockets in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians".

The IDF said that the attack in Rafah "targeted a Hamas compound, where key operatives" of the Islamist group "were operating".

Türk also condemned the firing of missiles by Palestinian armed groups and called for the release of all hostages held in the enclave since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 in Israeli territory.

"Palestinian armed groups must cease firing rockets, which are inherently indiscriminate and in clear violation of international humanitarian law. They must also unconditionally release all the hostages at once," he said in the same note.

According to Israel, of the more than 200 kidnapped in that Hamas attack, 133 hostages remain in Gaza, including some dead.

In the briefing note, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recalls that last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' principal judicial body, ordered Israel to suspend its offensive and any other action in the province of Rafah that could cause "the physical destruction" of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

"Israel must take immediate steps to protect civilians, ensure their access to essential humanitarian assistance and release all those arbitrarily detained," the representative said.

On 7 October 2023, an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli territory caused about 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Tel Aviv authorities.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health said today that the number of people killed by Israeli fire since 7 October has risen to 36,050, while the number of injured has risen to 81,026.

In addition, the ministry recalls daily that more than 10,000 bodies remain buried under the rubble, without ambulances or rescue teams being able to access them.

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