On Tuesday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said that an Israeli airstrike on a humanitarian area in Khan Yunis left at least 40 people dead and 60 others injured. The attack was aimed at al Mawasi, an area designated as a safe haven for tens of thousands of fleeing Palestinians.
The Israeli military said that the strike was aimed at a Hamas military command center situated inside the humanitarian zone. This came after other operations in the area such as a July one that Israel claimed got Hamas leader Mohammed Deif when Gaza’s health ministry said more than 90 people died.
Civil defense official Mohammed Al Mughair commented that rescue efforts are still still under way with fifteen people reported still lost. This strike also destroyed over 20 tents and also left three holes each of which was as large as the width of the strike. Another problem in the civil defense is an absence of equipment.
The Israeli military tried to justify the strike saying that the group, which is Hamas, was operating from civilian areas. Hamas has dismissed such allegations saying that they are fake.
This conflict, instigated by Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7th of October has seen many loss of lives on either side. There are 1,205 Israeli figures who died in the initial blow and, according to Gaza’s health ministry, 40,988 in the following Israeli barrage. According to the UN most of that loss of lives comprises of women and children.
This humanitarian situation in Gaza gets worse by the day and as safe areas become smaller and the population density rises. Ongoing negotiations by the US, the Qatar, and Egypt over the ceasefire and hostage standstill since the two factions continue to pull Hamas’ claim of total Israeli withdrawal while Israel wants to remain with a border security force at the border areas.
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