Israeli attacks in the south and centre of the Gaza Strip reportedly kill 50 people
- Author, Barbara Plett Usher
- Role, BBC News
- Report from Jerusalem
At least 50 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in a series of Israeli air strikes in the south and center of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.
One of the deadliest attacks occurred in the recently designated humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi, west of the southern city of Khan Younis.
Another attack hit a UN-run school housing displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The Israeli military said both attacks targeted members of armed Palestinian groups and said reports of civilian casualties were currently being investigated.
It also said that half of the leadership of Hamas’ military wing had been killed and that about 14,000 “terrorists” had been killed or arrested during the nine-month Israeli air strikes and ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
Since then, more than 38,710 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but at the end of April, 14,680 children, women and elderly people were among the dead.
Palestinian sources said the attack in Mawasi hit a car with four passengers near the Jordanian field hospital on Al-Attar Street.
The area is densely populated; nearby there is, among other things, a tent camp for displaced families and a market.
Videos on social media showed men lifting bodies onto a truck and the injured being treated at nearby Nasser Hospital.
A statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a plane had “struck a company commander of the (Palestinian) Islamic Jihad marine unit in western Khan Younis.”
“We are investigating reports that several civilians were injured as a result of the attack,” it added. “The details are currently being verified.”
The Israeli military has declared al-Mawasi a humanitarian zone for people fleeing areas of active fighting in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
The reported attack came three days after Israel attacked the head of Hamas’ military wing in the same area, killing dozens of people.
It is unclear whether Mohammed Deif survived, but Israel says it has confirmed that another senior commander was killed.
A separate Israeli airstrike on Tuesday hit a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Nuseirat, which housed displaced people.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 23 people were killed and photographs show significant damage to the building.
The IDF statement said it had attacked “terrorists” operating in the school and directing attacks on IDF forces in the Gaza Strip.
“Numerous steps were taken prior to the attack to reduce the risk of harm to civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance, precision munitions and additional intelligence,” it said.
The Israeli military accused Hamas of exploiting civilian buildings and using civilians as human shields. The group denied these allegations.
This is the sixth school in the Gaza Strip that Israel has attacked within ten days. UN officials have strongly condemned these attacks.
Another attack in Nuseirat on Tuesday afternoon reportedly killed two people, while attacks in the camp overnight left four people dead.
Israeli forces said on Tuesday morning that they had attacked about 40 “terror targets” throughout the Gaza Strip in recent days.
It also said troops had killed fighters and destroyed tunnel shafts during an ongoing ground offensive in the southernmost city of Rafah.
Also on Tuesday, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired rockets into Israeli territory near Gaza for the first time in two weeks, hitting the town of Sderot. One person was reportedly lightly injured as he ran for cover.
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