KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip, and TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli airstrike early Tuesday morning on an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza killed 19 Palestinians and wounded 60 others, according to Gaza’s ministry of health.
The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hamas command and control center in al-Muwasi, west of Khan Younis, and killed three Hamas commanders. Hamas did not confirm the deaths.
First responders told NPR it took them hours to pull dead bodies from beneath the rubble, and the health ministry said dozens were still stuck, which would contribute to a higher casualty toll.
Palestinians in Muwasi said the attack occurred between midnight and 1:00 am local time. Those in the camp said they didn’t receive an evacuation order to leave before the strike. In an official statement posted on WhatsApp on Tuesday, the Israeli military did not mention giving an evacuation order. It normally says when it has ordered Palestinians to leave.
Muwasi was a chaotic scene after the strikes. Dust and rubble covered tents and cars. Personal belongings like blankets, a deflated basketball, kitchen supplies and clothing were strewn across the camp. Parents looked for their children among the rubble, and a massive crater was left by an explosion in the middle of the camp.
This isn’t the first time Muwasi has been struck. In July, 90 Palestinians were killed in a strike that the Israeli military said targeted and killed top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif. Hamas denied that Deif was killed.
Palestinians were told by Israel's military in December that Muwasi was relatively safe, and that they would be able to find some resources like water and shelter. An area that was once hardly inhabited, today Muwasi is packed with hundreds of tents and tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
They live in squalid conditions, with little humanitarian aid reaching them because of the war.
“Nowhere is safe in Gaza,” said 52-year old Maha al-Sha’er, whose tent was destroyed in Tuesday’s strike. She said her family went to bed at 11 p.m. on Monday and were startled awake by loud booms. Sha’er said she was disoriented from the dust and explosions.
“‘Where was I sleeping? Where am I?’ I asked myself,” Sha’er told NPR.
After making sure her children were safe, she looked around to find her husband, Ahmad. After searching, she saw him still alive stuck under the rubble. Sha’er said she used her bare hands to dig him out.
“I just kept screaming, ‘Ahmad! Ahmad!’ and digging until he got out alive,” she said.
Fatima al-Ganna, 30, said her tent was just a few yards away from the crater in the middle of the camp.
“We were so surprised at this huge crater. We were so scared,” she said. “They told us to come here to be safe, but we just aren’t.”
The spokesman of the Gaza civil defense said that entire families were wiped out and that between 20 to 40 tents were destroyed.
Anas Baba reported from Khan Younis. Hadeel Al-Shalchi reported from Tel Aviv.
Copyright 2024 NPR
