Overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza hit multiple tent camps sheltering displaced Palestinians, killing dozens, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency has said.
One attack hit tents in al-Mawasi, a tent camp in southern Gaza that Israel had declared a so-called “humanitarian zone” but continues to bomb.
“At least 16 martyrs [were killed], most of them women and children, and 23 others were wounded following a direct strike by two Israeli missiles on several tents housing displaced families in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis,” Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Civil Defense, told AFP.
Another seven Palestinians were killed by an Israeli strike on tents in Beit Lahia, a city in northern Gaza that was the scene of large anti-Hamas protests on Wednesday. Two other Palestinians, a father and his son, were killed by an Israeli strike on another part of al-Mawasi. So far, there’s been no comment from the Israeli military about the attacks.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that at least 39 Palestinians were killed, and one body was recovered from the rubble over the previous 24-hour period. Another 73 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli attacks.
The Health Ministry’s numbers account for dead and wounded Palestinians brought to hospitals and morgues. “There are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them,” the ministry said.
Since Israel resumed its genocidal war on March 18, which it did with full US support, the ministry said at least 1,691 Palestinians have been killed, and 4,464 were injured. Children account for 595 of those killed, or 35.2%.