Israeli strikes have killed at least 40 people and wounded 60 others in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA has said, citing medical officials.
According to the Gaza civil emergency service, a tent encampment near Khan Younis in the Al-Mawasi area – which is a designated humanitarian zone – was struck by at least four missiles in the early hours of Tuesday.
Residents and medics at the scene said at least 20 tents caught fire after the missile strikes, which left craters as deep as nine metres (30 feet).
A Gaza civil emergency official said their teams “are still moving out martyrs and wounded from the targeted area” and claimed “it looks like a new Israeli massacre”.
The emergency service said women and children were included in the 65 killed and wounded, but did not say how many had died or had been injured respectively.
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed it had carried out an attack, which they said “struck significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the Humanitarian Area in Khan Younis”.
They added: “The terrorists advanced and carried out terror attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel.
“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.”
Hamas denied Israel’s claims that it had gunmen in the camp and that it exploited civilian areas for military purposes, and claimed they were “a clear lie that aims to justify these ugly crimes”.
In a statement, Hamas called the strike a “brutal act of genocide” and claimed Israel’s attacks “are being deliberately carried out without regard for international law, humanitarian law, or resolutions calling for an end to the aggression”.
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At least 40,988 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday.
It added that 94,825 others have been injured since then, when Hamas militants from Gaza murdered around 1,200 people and took 251 people hostage.