According to Palestine health officials, Israeli airstrikes on the Al Mawasi camp in the southern gaza have killed at least 90 Palestinians and 300 wounded. On Saturday , attacks on the Israeli designated safe zone located west of khan Younis in the southern Gaza, included fighter jets and drones, according to the witnesses.
The attack mainly targeted two senior members of Hamas military wing, declaring they were concealing among civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Hamas called this statement wrong and said it was just a cover over a horrific massacre at a place where displaced Palestinians were told to seek shield after being ordered to leave their homes in other parts of the strip.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the attack killed at least 90 civilians in a highly populated area sheltering about 80,000 Palestinians.
Israeli warplanes hit displaced Palestinians housing tents and a purified water unit. Al Jazeera’s reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum said the area was hit by “five bombs and five missiles”.
People who are staying up in the tents said that their tents were torn down due to the force of the attacks. They also reported seeing bodies and body parts scattered on the ground.
A resident of gaza city who is displaced in the Al Mawasi said, “I couldn’t even tell where I was or what was happening.” He told the Reuters news agency:
“I left the tent and looked around. All the tents were knocked down, body parts, bodies everywhere, elderly woman thrown on the floor, young children in pieces”
The injured Palestinians were taken to the Naseer Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which is severely faced with a shortage of critical equipment and medical staff.
Rescue workers said that the Israelis attacked those who were on the way to help victims. A spokesperson at Naseer hospital said that the medical team couldn’t take any more injured patients. On the other hand, civil defense teams were still busy in search and finding more injured Palestinians at the attack site.
Israeli forces have attacked Al Mawasi repeatedly. In late May, one of these strikes hit the displaced families living in tents, resulting in the deaths of at least 21 Palestinians.
The Israel military claimed in a statement that this attack is mainly based on “precise intelligence” just to hit “the two senior Hamas terrorists” and more fighters hiding among civilians.
The Israeli military described the site of attack as an open area surrounded by trees, buildings and sheds. The two seniors who are claimed as terrorists were Rafa’a Salameh, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, and Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’s military wing. They were accused of planning the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
Israeli prime minister Netanyahu said that it was not completely certain that the hamas officials were killed in the attack. Furthermore, he highlighted that the attack was still preferable for Israel.
He said, “Just the attempt to assassinate Hamas commanders delivers a message to the world, a message that Hamas’s days are numbered.” “And this is what I will be doing next week at the US Congress. I will deliver Israel’s message to the United States and the entire world.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said that Israel was “continuing the war of extermination against our people”. They said, “This crime confirms that the occupation has disregarded all international norms and covenants.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said that Palestinians were “going through a very difficult stage”.
A scholar and activist Hanan Ashrawi , said the attack on al-Mawasi had “turned all of Gaza into one massive death zone”. She said in a post, “American bombs and shells rain down on Gaza while the Israeli government and thugs succeed in preventing any form of medical, food, or fuel supplies from reaching the devastated population.”
