The attack on the Mawasi area killed at least several people, including children, according to Gaza’s emergency rescue service. Israel did not confirm the location of the attack.
Israel bombarded an area in southern Gaza with large tent encampments for Palestinians displaced by the war and killed a number of people, including children, the Civil Defense emergency rescue service in the territory said on Thursday.
The strike was part of the latest round of attacks on Gaza that killed more than 20 people overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, according to Palestinian officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in death tolls.
One of the strikes hit the coastal area of Mawasi near the city of Khan Younis, an area largely designated by the Israeli military as a “humanitarian zone” where tens of thousands of displaced people have been sheltering in tents. At least several people were killed in this attack, the Civil Defense said.
In video distributed by wire agencies, the strike appeared to ignite a fire that burned some tents and rescue workers attempted to douse the flames in the wake of the strike on Mawasi before driving off with the dead and wounded.
Since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel ignited the war in October 2023, Israel has repeatedly ordered Gazans to head for Mawasi, creating sprawling tent encampments. While many Gazans hoped they would be safe in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, Israel has occasionally struck there, citing activity by militants.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Mawasi attack and did not confirm the location of the strike.
