(Bloomberg) — Israel has launched a deadly airstrike on what it called a Hamas base in a Gaza camp for displaced Palestinians, an incident likely to raise international concerns about the ongoing war.
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Hamas reported that 40 people were killed and 60 wounded in the attack. However, Israel disputes these figures without giving an indication.
The Israel Defense Forces said the overnight shelling targeted senior Hamas fighters running a command and control center in the humanitarian area near the town of Khan Younis, according to a statement Tuesday. The military said three people directly involved in the Oct. 7 invasion were among the targets.
Hamas denied that fighters were present in the area, where hundreds of thousands of Gazans have taken refuge since Israel declared the area a humanitarian zone at the start of the conflict.
The attack extends the fallout from Israel’s nearly year-long push to topple Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. Israelis have faced accusations of war crimes, which they deny, during a campaign that has left much of Gaza in ruins and upended the lives of the more than 2 million people who live there.
The US, less than two months away from a presidential election in which the Gaza crisis has been a divisive issue, is monitoring efforts brokered by Qatar and Egypt to secure a ceasefire. Those talks have been stalled for months, stalled over issues including Israel’s military presence on the Gaza-Egypt border and the framing of an exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners.
About 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far, according to health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The Iran-backed group killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 during its Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel that sparked the conflict.
Unverified footage on social media showed residents digging up sand and recovering bodies in the Mawasi, a stretch of fields and dunes where the camp was located. One witness said the attacks left three craters and destroyed more than 20 tents.
The IDF said numerous steps had been taken to reduce the risk to civilians ahead of the strikes, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance. Israel has previously said it would not strike the Mawasi unless Palestinian fighters were operating there.
“Despite the extensive measures the IDF has taken to enable the population of Gaza to withdraw from the combat zones, including by designating a humanitarian zone, the Hamas terrorist organization continues to deploy its personnel and military infrastructure there,” the IDF said.
Read: US continues to push Gaza ceasefire deal as Israel, Hamas dig in
In July, about 90 displaced Palestinians were killed in an attack in Mawasi. Israel said at the time that the attack targeted and killed Mohammed Deif, a senior Hamas commander.
–With assistance from Fadwa Hodali.
(Updates with Israel, Hamas statements ongoing.)
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