At least 40 people have been killed and dozens more injured in southern Gaza after Israeli airstrikes hit a designated humanitarian zone, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence authority.
The strikes occurred late Monday in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, an area housing displaced civilians.
The Israeli military confirmed its aircraft targeted an operations centre belonging to Hamas fighters in Khan Younis, claiming that measures were taken to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. “Numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional means,” an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson stated.
However, local residents and Hamas authorities reported that the strikes directly hit tents where displaced Palestinians were sheltering. Khaled Mahmoud, a volunteer living near the area, described the destruction: “The strikes created three craters seven metres deep and buried more than 20 tents.” According to Mahmoud, he and other volunteers rushed to help, only to be overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. “Forty people were killed and more than 60 injured, while many are still under the rubble,” a director from Hamas’s Civil Defence authority said.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing flames rise into the night sky following the strikes, and unverified footage showed civilians digging through sand in an attempt to rescue people trapped beneath the debris.
In a statement, the IDF said, “Significant Hamas terrorists were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the Humanitarian Area in Khan Yunis.” The military accused Hamas of abusing civilian infrastructure for terrorist activities, asserting that the operation targeted militants.
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to systematically abuse civilian and humanitarian infrastructure, including the designated Humanitarian Area, to carry out terrorist activity against the State of Israel and IDF troops.”
Hamas has rejected these claims, calling the accusations a “blatant lie” and insisting that no fighters were present in the area. “The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or are using these places for military purposes,” Hamas said in a statement.
Thousands of Palestinians displaced by the ongoing conflict have fled to Khan Younis since Israel launched a military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the taking of 251 hostages.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 40,900 people have been killed since the conflict began in October 2023. The violence continues, with both sides accusing the other of committing atrocities and violating international humanitarian law.
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