In Gaza, a deadly strike by Israel targeted a crowded tent camp housing displaced Palestinians, resulting in at least 40 deaths and 60 injuries. Palestinian officials reported that entire families were killed in the attack, which occurred in a designated humanitarian zone known as Mawasi. Despite Israel claiming that the strike targeted Hamas militants, the Palestinian Civil Defence denied this claim. The strike left three large craters at the scene, with first responders and displaced individuals using mobile phones for light as they searched through the rubble. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received around two dozen bodies following the strike.
The Israeli military stated that it had targeted Hamas militants in a command-and-control center and used precise munitions and aerial surveillance to avoid civilian casualties. Israel has maintained that it has attempted to avoid harming civilians throughout the 11-month war, attributing civilian deaths to Hamas for operating in residential areas and placing infrastructure near homes, schools, and mosques. Hamas, however, denied the presence of militants in the area. The war in Gaza has caused extensive destruction and displacement of approximately 90% of the population of 2.3 million, with Israeli evacuation orders forcing hundreds of thousands of people into Mawasi, a line of tent camps along the coast.
Aid groups have struggled to provide basic services in Mawasi, despite it being designated as a humanitarian zone. Israel has occasionally struck targets in the area, with the Health Ministry in Gaza reporting that over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count. The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement in Gaza, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence. The international community has called for an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution to the conflict to prevent further loss of life and suffering among the civilian population.
