A deadly Israeli airstrike on the Al-Mawasi evacuation zone in southern Gaza early Tuesday has claimed the lives of at least 19 people and injured 60 others, according to Palestinian officials. The attack targeted a crowded tent camp that had been designated as a "humanitarian zone" for Palestinians displaced by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. This latest incident has further inflamed the already volatile situation in Gaza, raising questions about the safety of designated safe zones in the region.
Al-Mawasi, a 10-mile strip of sandy farmland along the Mediterranean coast, was designated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a safe zone in December of the previous year. It was intended to provide refuge for civilians amidst the relentless military assaults on Gaza's urban areas. However, the area has come under fire multiple times since its designation, leading to significant casualties and destruction.
In the latest strike, Israeli jets bombed the Al-Mawasi camp, which lies west of Khan Younis, one of Gaza's southern cities. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that the death toll could rise as more bodies are recovered from the rubble. The Israeli military, however, defended the strike, stating that it had targeted senior Hamas militants operating within a command-and-control center embedded in the area. "The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to systematically abuse civilian and humanitarian infrastructure, including the designated humanitarian area, to carry out terrorist activity against the state of Israel and IDF troops," said an Israeli military spokesperson.
Residents of Al-Mawasi have described the terrifying moments of the attack. "We were told to go to Al-Mawasi, to the safe area... Look around you and see this safe place," said Iyad Hamed Madi, who had sought shelter in the camp with his family. The Associated Press reported scenes of chaos and devastation, with first responders digging through the sand and rubble using garden tools and their bare hands, desperately searching for survivors.
This attack on Al-Mawasi is not an isolated incident. In July, a similar strike on the zone killed at least 90 Palestinians, a tragedy that drew widespread condemnation. The Israeli military claimed that the July strike had targeted Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas's military wing, though Hamas later denied Deif's death. Despite the IDF's assurances that it uses precise munitions to minimize civilian casualties, the frequent targeting of Al-Mawasi has led to increasing skepticism about the safety of these so-called humanitarian zones.
The international community has expressed growing concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the war has displaced around 90% of the territory's 2.3 million residents, many of whom have been forced to relocate multiple times. Aid groups have struggled to provide basic services in the midst of ongoing fighting, with Gaza's Health Ministry reporting over 40,900 Palestinian deaths since the conflict began. The ministry's figures, which do not distinguish between civilians and militants, indicate that women and children make up just over half of the dead.
Israel has consistently argued that it tries to avoid harming civilians, placing the blame on Hamas for operating within residential areas. However, the destruction of Al-Mawasi, which was supposed to be a refuge, has drawn sharp criticism. "This is for my son," Madi said, holding up a bag of diapers. "He's 4 months old. Is he a fighter? There's no humanity."
