Israeli Strike on Gaza Humanitarian Zone Kills 40, Injures 60
Rescue Efforts Hampered by Equipment Shortages Amidst Widespread Destruction
Israel-On Tuesday, Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that an Israeli airstrike on a humanitarian zone in southern Gaza resulted in 40 deaths and 60 injuries. The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted a Hamas command center in Al-Mawasi, located in Khan Yunis, a city in southern Gaza. This area had been designated a safe zone by Israel early in the conflict, with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians taking refuge there.
Despite the designation, the Israeli military has conducted operations in and around this zone, including a July strike that they claimed killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, though Gaza health authorities reported over 90 casualties from that attack.
Gaza civil defense official Mohammed Al-Mughair told AFP that 40 bodies and 60 injured individuals were transported to local hospitals following the strike. He also mentioned that rescue teams are still working to locate 15 missing people who were in tents for displaced persons at the time of the attack.
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In a separate statement, civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said that people sheltering in the camp had not been warned of the strike, adding a shortage of tools and equipment was hindering rescue operations.
“There are entire families who disappeared under the sand in the Mawasi Khan Yunis massacre.”
The Israeli military said in a statement early Tuesday that its aircraft had “struck significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control center embedded inside the Humanitarian Area in Khan Yunis”.
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to systematically abuse civilian and humanitarian infrastructure, including the designated Humanitarian Area, to carry out terrorist activity against the State of Israel and IDF troops,” it added.
Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that claims its fighters were present at the scene of the strike were “a blatant lie”.
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Throughout the conflict, Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, a claim that Hamas denies.
Shrinking Safe Zone
Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, which ignited the war in Gaza, resulted in 1,205 deaths, primarily civilians, including some hostages, according to official Israeli figures. The attack also led to 251 hostages being taken, with 97 still held in Gaza. The Israeli military reports that 33 of these hostages are now deceased.
In response, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has resulted in at least 40,988 deaths, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled region. The UN human rights office has noted that a significant portion of those killed are women and children.
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The United Nations reports that nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once during nearly a year of conflict. The humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi, which had a population density of 1,200 people per square kilometer before the war, now houses between 30,000 and 34,000 people per square kilometer. Additionally, the zone’s protected area has reduced from 50 square kilometers to 41.
Efforts by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to mediate a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas have stalled. Hamas is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any agreement, while Israel insists that its troops must remain stationed along the Gaza-Egypt border.
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