Israel committed a new massacre in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday at midnight. They targeted the tents of displaced Palestinians in the middle of the night, leading to a horrific death toll and Palestinian bodies embedded in the sand.
The Mawasi area was previously designated as a humanitarian zone by the army, as stated on their official pages. It shelters a large number of displaced Palestinians who use tents for shelter. Palestinians who survived reported that more than 40 tents were missing, buried under sand as a result of the attack.
The Civil Defense spokesman also said that entire families disappeared into the sand as a result of the bombing. A statement by the Civil Defense in the Strip added that “estimates indicate that we are facing one of the most horrific massacres” since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza.”
Israel stated that the strike targeted three militants, whose identities were disclosed by the Israeli army’s Chief of Staff. However, Palestinian armed groups refuted these claims about Al Mawasi Massacre, denying the presence of militants or the use of civilians as human shields.
A statement issued by the groups said: “The claims of the fascist occupation army that there were elements of the resistance in the targeted area are a blatant lie and propaganda to justify the ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the attack, carried out by the Israelis, killed civilians, most of them women and children. This incident brings the total number of Palestinian civilian deaths to 41,000 since October 7, 2023.
