Israeli strike on Gaza/ Gaza civilian casualties/ Israel-Hamas conflict/ Newslooks/ An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian tent camp in Gaza killed at least 19 people and injured 60 others. Israel claims it targeted Hamas militants in a command center, but Palestinian officials dispute this. The strike hit Muwasi, a zone designated for civilians displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Camp: Quick Looks
- Fatal Strike: An Israeli airstrike on a crowded tent camp in Gaza killed 19 people and wounded 60.
- Targeting Militants: Israel claims the strike targeted senior Hamas operatives involved in previous attacks.
- Civilian Impact: The camp was designated a safe zone for displaced civilians, raising concerns over civilian casualties.
- Hamas Denies: Hamas denied that militants were present in the area and called Israel’s claims false.
- Ongoing War: The nearly year-old Israel-Hamas conflict has displaced 90% of Gaza’s population.
19 Killed, 60 Injured in Israeli Airstrike on Palestinian Tent Camp
Deep Look
At least 19 people were killed and 60 others injured after an Israeli airstrike hit a densely populated Palestinian tent camp in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Palestinian officials. The airstrike struck Muwasi, a sprawling coastal area that had been designated as a humanitarian zone for civilians displaced by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Israeli officials said the strike was a targeted operation aimed at senior Hamas militants in a command center within the camp. They identified three Hamas operatives who were allegedly responsible for planning the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which had sparked the conflict. However, Palestinian officials and witnesses at the scene disputed the Israeli account, claiming the airstrike hit civilians who had been sheltering in the area.
Video footage from the scene, captured by the Associated Press, showed large craters where the strike hit, with rescue workers digging through the sand with their hands and flashlights to recover bodies. One of the most striking images was of a human leg being pulled from the debris. Civilians, like Iyad Hamed Madi, expressed their devastation and anger over the incident, stating, “We were told to go to Muwasi, to the safe area… Look around you and see this safe place.”
The strike has deepened the already severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where displacement and destruction have left many struggling to find shelter. The Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-controlled government, warned that the death toll could rise as more bodies are recovered. The Civil Defense agency, also run by Hamas, initially reported that 40 people had died, but this number was later contested by Israeli authorities. The discrepancy in casualty figures stems from different reporting methods, with the Health Ministry only counting bodies transported to hospitals, while Civil Defense includes those still trapped under rubble.
Eyewitnesses at the hospital described the chaos following the strike. Samar Moamer, a survivor of the attack, recounted how her family had been sleeping when the blast hit. “It was like a tornado,” she said, adding that her daughter was killed, while another was rescued alive from the debris. The morgue at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 10 bodies, including women and children.
The Israeli military insists that the operation was focused on militants in the area, but its claims have been met with skepticism from both Palestinian officials and international observers. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, expressed doubt over the reported casualties, stating that initial figures “did not line up” with the army’s assessment, considering the precision of the weapons used. However, Hamas responded with a firm denial, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and calling the military’s justification a “blatant lie.”
This isn’t the first time the Muwasi area has been targeted. In July, an Israeli strike killed at least 90 Palestinians in the zone. Israel had claimed the attack was aimed at Mohammed Deif, the elusive leader of Hamas’ military wing. While Israel said Deif was killed, Hamas has consistently maintained that he is alive.
The nearly year-long conflict between Israel and Hamas has created a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, displacing around 90% of the territory’s 2.3 million residents. The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli civilians in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Since then, Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, though it does not differentiate between civilian and militant casualties. The Israeli government claims to have killed more than 17,000 militants in the conflict, but the loss of civilian life remains a critical concern.
Israel has consistently maintained that it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, blaming Hamas for operating in residential areas and embedding its military infrastructure within civilian populations. However, international law permits military strikes in civilian areas only when proportional to the military objective, a standard that remains the subject of intense debate.
The impact of the war on Gaza’s population has been catastrophic. Basic services have broken down, and aid groups face overwhelming challenges as they attempt to provide relief amid ongoing airstrikes, blockades, and internal chaos. The Muwasi area, once considered a refuge for displaced civilians, is now another grim reminder of the war’s toll on non-combatants.
International efforts to broker a cease-fire have so far yielded little progress. The United States, along with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, have been pushing for an agreement that would secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. However, negotiations have repeatedly stalled as both sides accuse the other of making new and unacceptable demands. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted on Monday that conditions might be right for a six-week pause in fighting to facilitate the release of hostages, but there has been no commitment to a permanent cease-fire—something Hamas has been pressing for.
The humanitarian crisis deepened on Tuesday when an Israeli military announcement revealed that an American activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was likely killed “unintentionally” during a separate incident in the West Bank. Eygi, a 26-year-old Seattle native, had been protesting Israeli settlements when she was fatally shot. The incident drew strong condemnation from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called the shooting “unprovoked and unjustified.”
As the war drags on, Gaza’s civilians bear the brunt of the conflict, their lives shattered by violence that shows no signs of abating.
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