Dozens of people lost their lives yesterday in a horrific attack on a camp housing displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.
The tent encampment in the al-Mawasi area, which was sheltering over 100 internally displaced people according to local relief workers, came under multiple Israeli air strikes in the early hours of Tuesday morning. At least 20 tents were destroyed in the bombardment.
Rescue workers from Gaza’s emergency services said they were having difficulty accessing the site due to massive craters, some reported to be up to 9 meters deep, left by the powerful explosions.
The scene was one of utter devastation”, said the head of the emergency task force, adding they were still digging through the rubble with their bare hands to search for survivors or recover victims.
So far at least 40 bodies have been pulled out from under the sand and rubble, with over 60 people injured, though relief teams fear the death toll may rise sharply as more remains are uncovered. Eye-witnesses described a horrific scene, with some victims torn apart and unidentifiable.
Israel claims the strikes targeted a Hamas command center operating within the camp. However, the Palestinian militant group has dismissed this as a “blatant lie” and said none of its members were present.
Relief agencies also said the camp was a designated safe zone for civilians displaced due to previous fighting in nearby areas.
The attack has drawn strong condemnation from international human rights groups who alleged it constituted a war crime.
With displaced families having no haven left and the challenging search operation still underway, the incident has cast a shadow on the fragile ceasefire and dealt a massive blow to peace efforts.
