Palestinian rescuers work at the site following Israeli strikes on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Sept. 10, 2024. (Credit: REUTERS/Abdullah Al-Attar)
In the early hours of Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes hit a tent encampment in the Mawasi area near Khan Younis, a zone designated as a humanitarian safe space for displaced Palestinians. According to reports from Palestinian sources and international media, at least four missiles struck the encampment, igniting tents and causing widespread devastation.
What do we know about the strike?
Death and injury toll
According to Gaza’s civil emergency services, 65 people were either killed or wounded in the airstrikes. The Gaza government put the death toll at over 40, with at least 60 others wounded. Many residents remained missing as rescue teams searched through the rubble. Al-Jazeera confirmed that rescue operations were still ongoing early Tuesday, with concerns that the death toll could rise as bodies are recovered from beneath the debris.
What was targeted?
The Israeli army stated that the strikes were aimed at a Hamas command center, where key operatives were allegedly involved in orchestrating attacks against Israel. The Israeli army claimed these Hamas members were operating within a camouflaged compound in the humanitarian zone.
They later announced that the strike targeted senior Hamas commanders, adding that the group's aerial operations chief, Samer Esmail Hader Abu-Daqa, was killed along with senior members Osama Tabesh, the group's head of the observation and targets unit, and Ayman Mabhouh.
The Israeli army defended the strikes, stating to Haaretz that they had taken extensive precautions to avoid civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance. They also accused Hamas of using civilian areas, such as the Mawasi camp, for military purposes, a claim Hamas denied, calling the strikes unjustified and criminal.
Hamas swiftly denied the Israeli military’s claims that the airstrikes targeted operatives or military infrastructure. In a statement, the group condemned the strikes, calling them “ugly crimes” and rejecting allegations that they use civilian areas for military purposes. “This is a clear lie that aims to justify these ugly crimes,” a Hamas spokesperson said, according to Al-Jazeera.
Bombs used
Reports from Iranian media IRNA and Press TV indicated that the bombs used in the strikes were likely U.S.-made MK 2,000-pound bombs, known for their destructive capacity. These bombs reportedly left craters as deep as 9 meters, further contributing to the devastation. Reuters reported that at least 20 to 40 tents caught fire in the aftermath of the blasts, intensifying the destruction and further displacing those who had sought refuge in the camp.
About the Mawasi Zone
The Al-Mawasi area was designated as a humanitarian safe zone by Israel, meant to shelter displaced Palestinians fleeing from other parts of Gaza. Despite its designation as a safe area, the zone was heavily targeted. According to Al Jazeera, the area had been recognized as a "safe haven" for civilians, yet it became a target during the strikes. At least four missiles hit the camp, creating widespread devastation. One resident described the scene as “a new Israeli massacre,” telling Reuters that the missiles destroyed several tents and left behind “martyrs and wounded everywhere.”