The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it carried out an airstrike on “two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists,” who had allegedly been hiding among civilians in southern Gaza.
The attack was concentrated on al-Mawasi, a coastal area adjacent to the city of Khan Younis, which the IDF had previously designated as a “safe zone” for displaced people. The strike inflicted heavy civilian casualties, with at least 90 killed and nearly 300 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
“There are still many bodies of martyrs scattered in the streets, under the rubble, and around the tents of the displaced that cannot be reached due to the heavy shelling of the [Israeli military] that targeted places and tents in the al-Mawasi,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
The IDF said the “location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, and sheds,” sharing aerial photos of the compound before and after the attack. According to media reports citing eyewitnesses, the strike came in several waves, with multiple fighter jets and drones involved.
While the IDF did not officially name the high-profile targets of the strike, media reports citing unnamed Israeli officials suggested the military was hunting for the head Hamas’ military wing Mohammed Deif, as well as another senior commander. The Palestinian group disputed the claims, dismissing them as an attempt to “cover-up” yet another “horrific massacre” by the Israeli military.
“It’s not the first time Israel claims to target Palestinian leaders, only to be proven false later,” Hamas said in a statement.
The war in Gaza broke out in the aftermath of the October 7 surprise attack on southern Israel, launched by Hamas. The militant group took over 200 Israeli hostages in the attack, with another 1,200 Israelis being killed.
West Jerusalem responded with a heavy aerial and artillery bombing campaign against the Palestinian enclave, as well as a string of ground operations. The hostilities caused widespread destruction in densely populated Gaza, with over 38,000 Palestinians killed and nearly 90,000 wounded, according to local health authorities.