Israel focuses its bombing on displaced people’s camps in Gaza, Civil Defence says

Israeli occupation aircraft have deliberately targeted tents sheltering displaced people and gatherings of civilians across several areas of Gaza City, in one of the deadliest escalations in recent days, killing dozens and wounding many others — most of them women, children, and the elderly.

Captain Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, said in a brief statement to the Palestinian Information Centre that since dawn, Israeli forces have carried out intense and direct strikes on densely populated areas where displaced civilians have taken shelter.

Basal added that “the number of martyrs has exceeded 55 so far, with more than 180 injuries, including critical cases that cannot be treated due to the complete collapse of the healthcare system.”

Since early Thursday morning, the Israeli military has intensified its airstrikes on makeshift camps and civilian gathering sites throughout Gaza City. One of the deadliest attacks took place near Al-Sousi Mosque in Al-Shati refugee camp in the west of the city, where 19 people were killed when a tent sheltering displaced civilians was bombed.

This massacre is part of a series of ongoing violations against civilians in Gaza, where temporary shelters are no longer safe and have instead become direct targets for bombing, amidst the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the continued Israeli targeting of essential life facilities and population centres.