Hamas has claimed that the crossing has now been rendered impassable. "The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday afternoon that it hit an underground tunnel for smuggling weapons and equipment in the Rafah area, on the Egypt-Gaza border, but did not confirm or deny hitting the crossing itself," the Times of Israel is reporting.

Israel's military (the IDF) reportedly conveyed a warning to Gazan officials just minutes before it was bombed. Also, the Egyptian side operating the crossing was warned just before the airstrike.

The Rafah bombing has caused international outrage given that in the hours and days prior, the Israeli government has repeatedly told Palestinians in Gaza to flee because massive airstrikes will continue. Many have wondered, but where do they go?

The Rafah crossing is essentially the only possibility of escape for Gaza civilians. The Washington Post has noted, "the Gaza Strip is just over twice the size of Washington, D.C., but has triple the population" - at around 2.3 million people.

The IDF has meanwhile tried to walk back some earlier statements which told Palestinians to go to Egypt: 

Earlier in the day, a senior IDF spokesman advised Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to flee to Egypt, but the military issued a clarification shortly afterward.

"In recent days, the IDF has been instructing the population inside of the Gaza Strip to distance themselves from designated areas. We emphasize that there is no official call by Israel for residents of the Gaza Strip to exit into Egypt," the IDF said in an English-language statement.