In another brutal act against humanity, Israeli forces airstrike a refugee camp in Gaza on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of at least 90 Palestinians, including innocent children and women.
According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 91 Palestinians were killed in the strike, with 300 others injured, marking the deadliest toll in weeks in the conflict-shattered enclave.
Israel has accepted responsibility for the airstrike, stating that the target was Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it remained unclear whether Deif and another Hamas commander had been killed. He promised to continue targeting Hamas leadership, asserting that increased military pressure on the group would enhance chances of a hostage deal, despite three days of ceasefire talks coming to a halt separately on Saturday.
“Either way, we will get to the whole leadership of Hamas,” Netanyahu told a news conference.
Hamas denied reports of Deif’s death, according to a senior Hamas official on Al Jazeera TV. Earlier, Hamas refuted Israeli claims that they had targeted the group’s leaders, describing them as false and aimed at justifying the attack, which marked the deadliest Israeli assault in Gaza in weeks.
Displaced people taking shelter in the area reported that their tents were torn down by the force of the strike, with bodies and body parts strewn on the ground.
“I couldn’t even tell where I was or what was happening,” said Sheikh Youssef, a resident of Gaza City who is currently displaced in the Al-Mawasi area. “I left the tent and looked around; all the tents were knocked down, body parts and bodies everywhere, elderly women thrown on the floor, young children in pieces,” he told Reuters.
United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres, in a statement, expressed shock and sadness over the civilian deaths, highlighting that “nowhere is safe in Gaza” and emphasizing the need to uphold international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military stated that the strike targeting Deif also aimed at Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, describing them as two masterminds of the October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the nine-month war in Gaza.
Deif has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021, and has topped Israel’s most wanted list for decades, being held responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.
