The United States urged Israel on Monday to take every precaution to protect civilians after "devastating images" from a military strike in Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinians.

"Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," a National Security Council spokesperson said. "But as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.

"We are actively engaging the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation."