In a fresh attack, at least 40 Palestinians were killed and more than 60 others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on tents sheltering displaced people in Mawis Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
According to Israeli sources, Israeli airstrikes targeted at least 20 tents during the early hours of Tuesday, September 10.
“Israeli warplanes launched rockets at tents housing displaced Palestinians at the entrance to Muwasi in Khan Younis, causing widespread destruction and resulting in numerous casualties,” Palestinian medics told Xinhua news agency.
According to Palestinian officials, the Israelis strike hit tents in the early morning while families were asleep. The deadly strikes set their tents and makeshift shelters ablaze. Survivors described the chaos, with children screaming and shrapnel falling into the tents.
Images and video clips that surfaced on social media platforms depicted the grim aftermath, with several mutilated bodies of the civilians recovered from beneath the rubble of bombed homes.
The force of the ground-based missiles created holes 10 meters high, and the remains were scattered. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Dr Mohammed Al-Mughair, director of supply at the Civil Defense, confirmed that rescue teams recovered 40 bodies and aided more than 60 injured individuals.
He said that the bombardment created craters up to nine meters deep, indicating the use of explosive missiles by Israel. “We are witnessing one of the most horrific massacres committed in this war,” he lamented.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said that the attack targeted senior Hamas leaders operating from a hidden command centre in a humanitarian area of Khan Younis.
These individuals, he said, were involved in planning and executing “terrorist operations” against the army and Israeli civilians.
Adraee added that the army took extensive measures to reduce civilian casualties.
Hamas has not yet commented on these reports.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.
(With inputs from IANS)
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