Israel massacres Palestinians in 'safe zone'

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Middle East Monitor (@middleeastmonitor)

The Israeli occupation army bombed a designated “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, this morning, killing at least 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

The air strike hit around 20 tents housing displaced Palestinians near Khan Younis. Eyewitnesses reported that at least five rockets struck the area, while emergency services said that the missiles left craters up to nine metres deep.

The Israeli military claimed that it had targeted a Hamas command centre “disguised in the humanitarian area in Khan Younis” and that “many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision weaponry, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence information.” Israel has often targeted areas that were previously identified by its armed forces as safe zones for civilians.

According to Al-Jazeera, the Israeli military claimed that the air strike targeted senior Hamas leaders, including Samer Ismail Hader Abudaqa, identified as the head of the group’s aerial unit; Osama Tabash, described as the head of surveillance and targeting in Hamas’s intelligence division; and Ayman Mabhouh, another high-ranking official. However, no evidence was provided to support this claim.

Hamas rejected the allegation that it was using a civilian zone as a command centre. “The claims of the fascist occupation army about the presence of resistance elements at the targeted site are a blatant lie,” insisted the resistance movement.

Gaza’s civil defence and rescue teams reported that the Israeli forces used “heavy concussion missiles” and described the attack as “one of the most horrific massacres since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza.” A major human rights group has said that the “massive bombs” were supplied to the Zionist regime by the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has condemned Israel’s air strike on the site where civilians were sheltering. He described it as a “deadly attack on a densely populated area” and stressed the need to uphold “international humanitarian law at all times.”

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 95,000 others.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza. The apartheid state denies the allegation.

OPINION: The third intifada is in its gestation period