At least 40 people were killed and 60 were wounded in an Israeli attack on a tent encampment in southern Gaza, civil emergency authorities in the enclave have confirmed. The encampment was meant for displaced Palestinians. Gaza’s Civil Defence said that at least 20 tents in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis were hit in the attack carried out early Tuesday morning, September 10.
Al-Mawasi has for long seen Palestinians sleeping in tents after the coastal area was designated a “safe zone” by the Israeli army during its ground invasions of Khan Younis and Rafah. Al Jazeera Arabic reported, citing sources, that rescuers found craters of up to 9 metres (30 ft) deep at the tent camp while searching for survivors.
Witnesses said they saw fires burning and Israeli reconnaissance planes circled overhead. According to a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, it can be said after the initial assessment of the scene that this attack was “one of the most heinous massacres in this frenzied war.”
‘It looks like a new Israeli massacre’
Israeli authorities said that had struck “significant Hamas terrorists” who were reportedly operating at a command and control centre located inside the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis. “The terrorists advanced and carried out terror attacks against [Israeli army] troops and the state of Israel,” the Israel Foreign Ministry said in an online statement.
“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional means,” it added.
{{/usCountry}}“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional means,” it added.
{{/usCountry}}Hamas, however, has dismissed claims that its fighters were present in the area that was targeted. The group accused Israeli authorities of lying to justify their “ugly crimes.”
“The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or using these places for military purposes,” Hamas in a statement.
The Gaza civil emergency service reportedly said that the wounded victims included women and children. An official stated, "Our teams are still moving out martyrs and wounded from the targeted area. It looks like a new Israeli massacre.”