Earlier on Tuesday, the Government Media Office in Gaza, alongside civil defense authorities, reported that at least 40 people were killed and more than 60 injured in an Israeli missile attack on a tent camp in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, where Palestinians were sheltering. Many remain missing. Israeli occupation forces have frequently targeted areas where their military had previously directed civilians to seek safety.

The Health Ministry noted, “A number of victims are still under the rubble, under the sand, and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them and retrieve them, and they have not reached hospitals yet.” This was reported while the Ministry acknowledged a lower death toll.

The Israeli occupation military contested the original casualty figures and stated that the attack, which witnesses said involved at least four missile strikes, was aimed at a Hamas command center. The Palestinian armed group refuted this claim, calling it a “blatant lie.”

Al-Mawasi has been crowded with displaced Palestinians living in tents since the Israeli occupation army designated the coastal area a “safe zone” during its ground offensives in Khan Younis and nearby Rafah. Rescuers searching for survivors found craters as deep as nine meters (30 feet) at the tent camp, according to Al Jazeera Arabic, citing local sources. Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with fires burning and Israeli reconnaissance planes circling overhead.

One witness, Attaf al-Shaar, told The Associated Press, “The people were buried in the sand. They were retrieved as body parts.” Al Jazeera’s Mansour Shouman added, “Dozens are still missing and the civil defense have been digging with their bare hands to get the people out.”

Despite being designated by Israel as a “safe area” and a “safe humanitarian zone,” al-Mawasi in southwestern Gaza has endured five Israeli massacres since May. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least 217 Palestinians and the injury of 635 others.

Al-Mawasi, located along the southern Palestinian coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, has become a refuge for approximately 1.7 million displaced Palestinians fleeing months of Israeli occupation assaults. This pattern of forcing Palestinians to relocate to declared “safe” areas, only to strike them later, has been a recurring tactic since the Israeli genocidal war began in October. However, al-Mawasi remains devoid of basic living necessities and overcrowded with makeshift tents.

Summary of Al-Mawasi Massacres

Mawasi, Khan Younis:

-September 10, 2024:

Israeli occupation airstrikes on refugee tents in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, killed 40 Palestinians and injured 60 others. Several victims remain missing, buried beneath the sand, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. Human rights groups and international organizations condemned the attack. Survivors reported that the bombing left deep craters, effectively turning them into mass graves.

-July 16, 2024:

An Israeli drone strike targeted a civilian vehicle on al-Attar Street, killing 17 Palestinians and injuring over 26 others.

-July 13, 2024:

Multiple airstrikes hit refugee camps in the al-Nas area, killing 90 people and injuring 300 more, including many women and children. The Gaza Government Media Office labeled it a “large massacre” and expressed concerns about the capacity of hospitals to handle the large number of casualties. Israel claimed the airstrikes targeted senior Hamas leaders; a claim Hamas denied.

Mawasi, Rafah:

-June 22, 2024:

Israeli occupation artillery shelled refugee tents in al-Mawasi, Rafah, killing 25 Palestinians and setting tents on fire. The Red Cross reported that the shelling affected its office and staff residence, resulting in significant casualties among displaced civilians.

-May 26, 2024:

Israeli occupation warplanes bombed a refugee camp in al-Mawasi, killing 45 Palestinians, including 23 women and elderly people, and injuring 249 others.

Since the beginning of the Israeli genocidal war on October 7, over 41,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed, with nearly 95,000 injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Source: Al-Jazeera + Anadolu Agency