The Israeli side notified the administration of US President Joe Biden that it allegedly used a precision-guided munition to hit a target near the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, but the explosion from the impact ignited a fuel tank and caused a fire in a displaced persons camp, resulting in civilian deaths, American media reported, citing a US official.
"We can’t confirm that, but it’s what Israel shared with us," the official was quoted as saying on Monday.
The official also said that "we assume we will learn more once Israel completes its investigation."
Israel struck a camp for displaced Palestinians northeast of Rafah on Sunday. The Palestinian civil defense service said that at least 40 people died and dozens were injured as a result of the Israeli attack on the camp, which houses tens of thousands of displaced civilians.
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh called the attack a "deliberate massacre that transcends all borders."
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the airstrike on the refugee camp a "tragic mishap," adding that an investigation is underway. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that it used "precise munitions".
The Israeli attack came Despite a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on provisional measures concerning Israel, which includes the directive to cease its military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, home to more than 1.5 million Palestinian refugees.
Since last October, the Israeli army has killed more than 35,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly children and women, in the besieged enclave.