Israeli air strikes on the al-Mawasi camp in southern Gaza have killed a minimum of 90 individuals and wounded 300 others, in response to Palestinian well being officers.
The assault on Saturday on the Israeli-designated “secure zone”, positioned west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, concerned fighter jets and drones, in response to witnesses.
Israeli officers have mentioned the assault focused two senior members of Hamas’s navy wing, claiming they have been hiding amongst civilians.
Hamas has dismissed this declare as “false”, saying it’s a approach of masking up the “horrific bloodbath” at a location the place displaced Palestinians have been urged to hunt shelter after receiving orders to evacuate their properties elsewhere within the Strip.
Right here’s all the things you should know concerning the assault and its aftermath:
What’s the scenario on the bottom?
The assault killed a minimum of 90 civilians in a densely populated space sheltering about 80,000 individuals, in response to Gaza’s Ministry of Well being.
Israeli warplanes hit tents housing displaced Palestinians and a water distillation unit.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum mentioned the realm was hit by “5 bombs and 5 missiles”.
Displaced individuals sheltering within the space mentioned their tents have been torn down by the drive of the strikes and have described our bodies and physique components strewn on the bottom.
“I couldn’t even inform the place I used to be or what was taking place,” mentioned Sheikh Youssef, a resident of Gaza Metropolis who’s displaced within the al-Mawasi space.
“I left the tent and regarded round. All of the tents have been knocked down, physique components, our bodies in every single place, aged girls thrown on the ground, younger youngsters in items,” he instructed the Reuters information company.
The injured have been taken to the Nasser Medical Advanced in Khan Younis, which is severely understaffed and lacks important tools. Rescue employees say the Israeli military attacked crews who have been on their approach to assist victims.
An official at Nasser Hospital instructed Al Jazeera that medical groups didn’t have the capability to obtain any extra wounded sufferers as civil defence groups continued to work on search and rescue operations on the web site of the assault.
Mohammad Subeh, an emergency physician working at one of many discipline hospitals close to al-Mawasi, instructed Al Jazeera that rescuers have been “digging individuals out of the bottom”.
The al-Mawasi space has been repeatedly attacked by the Israeli navy, with a strike in late May that hit tents housing displaced households killing a minimum of 21 individuals.
What are Israeli officers saying?
The Israeli navy claimed in a press release that it acted primarily based on “exact intelligence” to hit an space the place “two senior Hamas terrorists” and extra fighters hid amongst civilians. It described the placement of the strike as “an open space surrounded by bushes, a number of buildings, and sheds”.
The figures focused have been Rafa’a Salameh, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, and Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’s navy wing – each accused of masterminding the Hamas-led October 7 assault on southern Israel.
Talking on the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned it was “not completely sure” that the Hamas officers have been killed within the assault however maintained that it had nonetheless been helpful to Israel.
“Simply the try and assassinate Hamas commanders delivers a message to the world, a message that Hamas’s days are numbered,” he mentioned. “And that is what I will probably be doing subsequent week on the US Congress. I’ll ship Israel’s message to the USA and your complete world.”
Netanyahu mentioned he authorised the strike after receiving passable info on collateral harm and the kind of ammunition for use. He added that the Israeli navy would “a technique or one other” kill all Hamas leaders.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Jordan, mentioned Netanyahu’s directive to “goal and kill Hamas officers wherever they’re”, claiming that it was finishing up exact and focused assaults, had repeatedly been used as a justification to strike civilians in densely populated Gaza.
What are Palestinian leaders saying?
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s deputy head in Gaza, claimed that Netanyahu had wished to declare a “pretend victory” and that claims about focusing on the Hamas leaders have been false.
“Mohammad Deif is listening to you now and mocking your false, empty statements,” he instructed Al Jazeera Arabic.
Hamas had earlier issued a press release on Telegram calling on Palestinians within the occupied West Financial institution and occupied East Jerusalem to “mobilise” in response to the assault.
“We name on all resistance brigades to mobilise for Gaza and in loyalty to the blood of the martyrs,” the assertion learn.
The armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) mentioned in a press release that Israel was “persevering with the warfare of extermination in opposition to our individuals”.
“This crime confirms that the occupation has disregarded all worldwide norms and covenants,” the PIJ mentioned.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa condemned Israel’s “genocidal crimes” in Gaza, saying that Palestinians have been “going by a really troublesome stage”.
Mustafa mentioned Israel’s actions have been extra broadly focusing on the Palestinian challenge as an entire and included Israel’s aim of creating an unbiased state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Hanan Ashrawi, a scholar and activist, mentioned the assault on al-Mawasi had “turned all of Gaza into one large dying zone”.
“American bombs and shells rain down on Gaza whereas the Israeli authorities and thugs reach stopping any type of medical, meals, or gasoline provides from reaching the devastated inhabitants,” she mentioned in a submit on X.
Right now’s horrific bloodbath & savage bombing of displaced Palestinians in Israeli designated “secure” zones of Muassi, Khan Younis is the most recent in an escalation that has turned all of Gaza into one large dying zone. American bombs & shells rain down on Gaza whereas the Israeli…
— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) July 13, 2024
What’s the scenario beneath worldwide regulation?
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations particular rapporteur on the human rights scenario within the occupied Palestinian territory, instructed Al Jazeera the assaults could have breached worldwide regulation.
“Folks in a secure space are protected beneath worldwide regulation. If there’s a navy goal inside a secure zone, the motion must be proportional to the navy benefit that’s going to be achieved. Killing 70 individuals for one is just not proportional,” she mentioned.
“I’m disgusted by the tolerance of Israel’s impunity which is enabling the genocidal warfare,” she added.
In March, the UN professional issued a report that acknowledged there have been “affordable grounds” to consider that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
How is the world reacting?
Egypt
“We condemn within the strongest phrases the Israeli raids on the al-Mawasi space,” Egypt’s Ministry of International Affairs mentioned in a press release. The ministry emphasised that “ongoing violations in opposition to the rights of Palestinian residents” add severe “problems” to reaching a ceasefire deal.
Qatar
Qatar’s International Ministry mentioned that “the repetition of the heinous crimes proves day after day the necessity for pressing worldwide motion to right away finish this brutal aggression and supply safety for the Palestinian individuals”.
It additionally warned that Israel’s “recklessness” would undermine worldwide efforts to implement a two-state resolution “and thus pave the way in which for the enlargement of the cycle of violence within the area and the menace to worldwide peace and safety”.
Saudi Arabia
The International Ministry referred to as for “activating worldwide accountability mechanisms” in opposition to Israeli abuses. “The International Ministry condemns in strongest phrases the continuation of genocidal massacres in opposition to the Palestinian individuals by the hands of the Israeli warfare machine,” it mentioned in a press release.
Iran
International Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani mentioned the assault was the “newest crime within the collection of crimes dedicated by the child-killing Zionist regime”, in a submit on X.
“The Zionists have as soon as once more brutally proven that with a view to compensate for the defeats suffered on the battlefield with the resistance, they don’t recognise any humane and ethical pink line in the direction of the defenceless residents of the Gaza Strip, however they need to know that insisting on this path is nothing however a wider world hatred.”
Jordan
The International Ministry mentioned in a press release that it condemned the assault on “displaced individuals’” tents. Spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah mentioned that Jordan denounces Israel’s continued violation of worldwide regulation and careworn the necessity for the worldwide neighborhood to behave to convey an finish to Palestinian struggling.
Colombia
President Gustavo Petro expressed outrage at what he referred to as “the best injustice”.
“I’m much more outraged as a result of this destruction of worldwide human regulation is a prelude to the barbarism they wish to unleash on all of the oppressed individuals of the earth,” he mentioned in a submit on X.
