Over 70 reported killed in Israeli strike on ‘two senior Hamas members’

Israel has carried out massive airstrikes on a designated “safe zone” in southern Gaza, with over 70 reported killed and nearly 300 wounded

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 71 killed and nearly 300 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The tally is expected to become even greater, with many bodies still not recovered.

“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.

In a joint IDF and ISA activity based on precise intelligence, the IDF's Southern Command and the IAF carried out a strike in an area where two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists hid among civilians. The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees,… pic.twitter.com/1MEJYHHwm7

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 13, 2024 Read more

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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.