18 dead and dozens injured in Israeli attack on tents of displaced people in Rafah

GAZA CITY, Palestine

At least 18 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured on Friday when Israeli forces shelled tents housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Medical sources told Anadolu that rescue teams recovered the bodies of 18 victims and treated 35 injured after Israeli tanks attacked the displaced people’s camp in the Al-Mawasi region.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that its medical teams are “treating a large number of casualties as a result of Israeli artillery shelling in the area.”

Two Israeli Merkava tanks stationed on a hill opposite the Shakoush area in western Rafah fired artillery shells at a gathering of displaced people near the gate of the International Committee of the Red Cross field hospital, causing numerous casualties, witnesses told Anadolu.

Ambulances rushed to the scene to take the dead and injured to field hospitals and rescue operations are still ongoing, the witnesses added.

The shelling caused tents to catch fire, spreading fear and panic among the displaced people.

Witnesses said there was a significant exodus from tents in the area towards Khan Younis in the north.

The Israeli army has ordered Palestinian displaced persons to gather in the coastal strip of Al-Mawasi, as it is a “security zone”.

This area extends 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) along the Mediterranean coast and one kilometer inland.

Al-Mawasi region has no residential infrastructure, no sewage systems, no electricity lines, and no communication networks. Most of the land consists of greenhouses and sandy areas.

Conditions for displaced people in this area are dire, with severe shortages of basic resources such as water, sanitation, medical care and food.

Israel has ignored a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and is facing international criticism for its ongoing brutal offensive on Gaza since the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The number of Palestinian deaths from relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza since last October has exceeded 37,400, according to the besieged enclave’s Health Ministry.

More than 85,600 people were injured in the attack, the ministry added.

More than eight months after the start of the Israeli war, large parts of the Gaza Strip lay in ruins and people were cut off from food, clean water and medicine by a crippling blockade.

Israel is accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice. In its latest ruling, the court ordered Israel to immediately cease its military operations in the southern city of Rafah. Over a million Palestinians had sought refuge there from the war before the invasion on May 6.

*Written by Mohammad Sio and Ahmed Asmar

The Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news offered to AA News Broadcasting System (HAS) subscribers, in a summarized form. Please contact us regarding subscription options.