Israeli missiles ignited a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths or injuries of 65 people, according to the enclave's civil emergency service on Tuesday. The Israeli military claimed the attack targeted a Hamas command center. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office reported more than 40 fatalities and at least 60 wounded, with many still unaccounted for as rescue efforts continued early Tuesday.
Residents and medics reported that the tent encampment near Khan Younis in the Al Mawasi area, designated by Israel as a humanitarian safe zone for displaced Palestinians, was hit by at least four missiles. The camp, filled with families ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate there from other parts of the territory, saw at least 20 tents catch fire, with missiles creating craters up to nine meters deep. The Gaza civil emergency service confirmed the 65 victims included women and children but did not provide immediate details on the breakdown of deaths and injuries. The Gaza health ministry, which compiles casualty figures, did not immediately comment.
Earlier, the Hamas-aligned Shehab News Agency reported 40 Palestinians killed. "Our teams are still recovering martyrs and wounded from the targeted area. It appears to be a new Israeli massacre," a Gaza civil emergency official stated. The official added that teams had been struggling to search for victims possibly buried. The Israeli military asserted it "struck significant Hamas terrorists operating within a command and control center embedded inside the Humanitarian Area in Khan Younis." The statement claimed the terrorists had advanced and carried out attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel.
Hamas, the Islamist group that controlled Gaza before the conflict, denied Israeli allegations of gunmen being present in the targeted area and rejected accusations of exploiting civilian areas for military purposes. "This is a blatant lie intended to justify these heinous crimes. The resistance has repeatedly denied the presence of its members within civilian gatherings or using these places for military purposes," Hamas stated. Ambulances rushed between the tent camp and a nearby hospital, while Israeli jets were still audible overhead, according to residents. Nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced at least once, with some having fled as many as 10 times.
The war was initiated on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,900 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Both warring sides blame each other for the failure to reach a ceasefire that would end the fighting and secure the release of hostages.
