14 killed, mostly children, in Israel strikes near so-called 'humanitarian zone' in Gaza

Fourteen people, the majority of them children under ten years old, were reportedly killed by Israeli air strikes near Al-Mawasi this morning, an area designated a “humanitarian zone” by Israeli authorities, to which Israeli forces ordered civilians to evacuate for their safety, says aid agency Save the Children.

Israeli forces have issued multiple so-called “evacuation orders” since 7 October, primarily directing civilians to three areas in the south – Khan Yunis, Rafah and Al-Mawasi. All three have been subsequently hit by Israeli air strikes, with civilians, including children, killed and injured.

“I cannot stress this enough: there is nowhere safe in Gaza. But under International Humanitarian Law, there should be. Camps, shelters, schools, hospitals, homes and so-called ‘safe zones’ should not be battlegrounds. Yet Gaza has been laid to waste,” explained Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee. 

These relocation orders offer nothing more than a smokescreen of safety. If people stay, they are killed. If they move, they are killed. People are facing the ‘choice’ of one death sentence or another.

“World leaders must secure a definitive ceasefire now. Every hour without one, more children will pay the price for broken politics with their lives and futures. There will be no safe place in Gaza until then.”

READ: Five-year-old cancer patient unable to leave Gaza for treatment