The strike was among the deadliest yet in in a designated humanitarian zone known as Mawasi, a sprawling line of squalid tent camps along the Gaza coast.
At least 40 people have been killed and 60 others wounded after Israel struck a crowded tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza early Tuesday, according to Palestinian officials. Israel stated that the attack targeted “significant” Hamas militants, a claim denied by the militant group.
Entire families were reportedly killed as they sheltered in tents, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence, first responders operating under the Hamas-run government. The 40 people killed were in a designated humanitarian zone known as Mawasi.
An Associated Press cameraperson observed three large craters at the scene, where first responders and displaced individuals were searching through sand and rubble with garden tools and their bare hands, using mobile phones for light after the predawn strike.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, one of three hospitals receiving casualties, reported receiving around two dozen bodies following the strike.
The Israeli military said that it had targeted Hamas militants operating in a command-and-control centre, claiming to have used precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and other measures to avoid civilian casualties.
Israel maintains that it has attempted to avoid harming civilians throughout the 11-month war, which began with Hamas’s attack on 7 October. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths, accusing the militants of operating in residential areas and placing tunnels, rocket launchers and other infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques.
Hamas issued a statement denying the presence of any militants in the area. Neither Israel nor Hamas provided evidence to substantiate their claims.
The war has caused extensive destruction and displaced approximately 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times. Israeli evacuation orders, which now cover about 90% of the territory, have forced hundreds of thousands of people into Mawasi, a sprawling line of squalid tent camps along the Gaza coast.
Aid groups have struggled to provide basic services in Mawasi, and Israel has occasionally struck targets there despite designating it as a humanitarian zone.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, without distinguishing between fighters and civilians in its count.
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