Overcrowded Area with 1.7 Million Refugees Gathered
The Israeli military conducted an airstrike on a tent village crowded with refugees in the Gaza Strip, causing another large number of casualties.
On the 10th (local time), the Israeli military stated, "We attacked key Hamas terrorists operating at the command and control center located in the humanitarian zone of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip," adding, "They carried out terrorist attacks against Israel and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)."
According to major foreign media including AFP, at least 40 people were killed and 60 injured in the Israeli military's airstrike on the refugee camp. A Gaza emergency management official explained, "Airstrikes continued overnight in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, and our personnel are still searching for 15 missing persons near the airstrike site."
Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense, claimed, "More than 20 to 40 tents were completely destroyed, and three deep craters were created by the airstrikes," adding, "There are cases where entire families disappeared under the sand." Local residents and medical staff reported that at least four missiles were fired that day without any airstrike warnings, and rescue operations faced difficulties due to lack of equipment.
Military operations conducted by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip have continuously caused civilian casualties, drawing strong public criticism. According to Hamas health authorities, since the outbreak of the war in October last year, the number of deaths recorded in the Gaza Strip has reached 41,000.
However, even after this military operation, the Israeli military explained that "various measures were taken to minimize harm to civilians," while shifting the blame by criticizing Hamas's 'human shield tactics.' They claim that Hamas structurally abuses facilities designated as humanitarian zones to carry out terrorism. The Israeli military has previously claimed that hospitals, refugee camps, and other humanitarian facilities crowded with civilians were targeted because Hamas command centers were hidden there.
Al-Mawasi had earlier been designated by the Israeli military as a civilian evacuation area, becoming an overcrowded region where about 1.7 million refugees from across the Gaza Strip gathered. However, the Israeli military also conducted an airstrike on the Al-Mawasi area in July, claiming it was an attack targeting a Hamas commander at that time.
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