War between Israel and Hamas: Israeli attack on southern Gaza Strip leaves 71 dead

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel said it targeted The mysterious military commander of Hamas in a massive attack on Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 71 people, according to local health officials. Hamas immediately denied the claim.

It was not immediately known whether Mohammed Deif was among the dead. Israeli officials confirmed that he and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were the targets. A military official later said they were “still checking and verifying the outcome of the attack” and did not deny that it took place inside the Israeli-designated security zone.

Many believe that Deif is the main architect of the October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and which War between Israel and HamasHe has been at the top of Israel’s wanted list for years and is believed to have escaped several Israeli assassination attempts in the past.

His possible killing threatens to derail ceasefire talks and would be seen as a major victory for Israel in the nine-month war.

“These false claims are only intended to cover up the extent of the horrific massacre,” Hamas said in a statement to Israel.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 289 other people were wounded in the attack – one of the deadliest of the war – and many dead and injured were taken to the overburdened Nasser Hospital nearby. There, Associated Press journalists counted more than 40 bodies. Witnesses described an attack that included multiple blows.

“Numerous victims still lie under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulances and civil protection teams are unable to reach them,” the Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military claimed that “other terrorists were hiding among civilians” and described the site of the attack as an area surrounded by trees, several buildings and sheds.

Footage of the aftermath shows a huge crater, charred tents, burned-out cars and household items strewn across the blackened earth as rescue workers and Palestinians displaced by the war search for survivors. Victims were carried on the hoods and tailgates of cars, as well as on donkey carts and carpets.

According to eyewitnesses, the attack landed in Muwasi, the Israeli-designated security zone that stretches from northern Rafah to Khan Younis. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled to the coastal strip in search of safety. They mostly live in sweltering, makeshift tents and have hardly any sanitary facilities.

“This was a safe zone where people from the north were staying,” said a displaced Palestinian who did not give his name. “All the children died here. We picked up their debris with our hands.” He estimated there were seven or eight rockets and claimed that first responders were also targeted.

According to an Israeli official, the attack was carried out in a fenced-off area of ​​Khan Younis, which is controlled by Hamas, but the exact location was not given. It was not a tent complex, but an operations camp. The official described the attack as precise and said it was believed that many of the victims were “terrorists.”

Deif has been in hiding for more than two decades and is considered paralyzed. One of the only known images of him is a 30-year-old passport photo published by Israel. Even in Gaza, few people would recognize him.

Meanwhile, American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators continue to push to reduce differences between Israel and Hamas over a proposed agreement on a three-stage ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

The US-backed proposal calls for an initial ceasefire with limited hostage release and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas in Gaza. At the same time, the two sides will negotiate the terms of the second phase, which would involve full hostage release in return for a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip after The Hamas attack of October 7 in which militants entered southern Israel and kidnapped about 250 people.

Since then, more than 38,400 people have been killed and more than 88,000 injured by Israeli ground offensives and bombings in Gaza, according to the Ministry of HealthThe ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

More than 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes. Most of them now huddle in squalid tent camps and face widespread hunger.

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Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Jack Jeffery in Ramallah, West Bank, Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Abby Sewell and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

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For more AP reports, see https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war