The Gaza health ministry has put the number of people killed at 71 and those injured at 289, although the number is expected to rise in the coming hours as victims of the attack continue to arrive at nearby hospitals.
Dozens of people have been killed or injured following an Israeli airstrike on Mawasi, declared a “humanitarian zone” by the Israeli military, west of the southern town of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.
According to local sources, three missiles have hit the heart of the humanitarian area of Mawasi, where thousands of Palestinians are forcibly displaced at the start of the Israeli military operation in Rafah, in the south of the Strip.
The Gaza health ministry estimates that 71 people died and 289 were injuredalthough the number is expected to increase in the coming hours as victims of the attack continue to arrive at nearby hospitals.
Rescue teams are still recovering bodies, and there are barely any medical facilities to cope with the number of casualties. Local residents are transporting victims to hospital in vehicles, on animal-drawn carts and on their own shoulders.
Despite the designation of the area as “humanitarian zone”and that returning to Rafah is impossible due to the intensity of the fighting in the town, the Army has attacked targets in Mawasi several times.
Israeli security officials and media say the target of the attack was a military Chief Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, considered the group’s number two in the Gaza Strip, behind only Yahya Sinwar, and one of the main perpetrators of the October 7 attacks. According to Hebrew-language media cited by the Israeli press, Deif was also present alongside another senior Hamas official, Rafa’a Salameh, commander of the Khan Yunis brigade.
The military has not yet commented on the incident and it is not clear whether Deif or Salameh were hit in the attack. Army radio said only that the target of the bombing was “very important.”
Hamas official Abu Zuhri claims that All victims are civilians and that the attack represents “a serious escalation in the war of genocide, supported by America and the silence of the world.” Zuhri adds that this attack “shows that Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement.”
Since the war began in the enclave, at least 38,300 Palestinians have been killed and thousands remain buried under the rubble, most of them women and children, according to Gazan health authorities.
Netanyahu must resign, say Israelis
The vast majority of Israelis think that the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahushould resign over security failures that allowed the Hamas attacks on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 were kidnapped, according to a survey from Israel’s Channel 12 News.
72% of respondents believe that the president should resign over what happened, and 44% of them think he should do so immediately. 28% of those who think he should resign believe that he should do so once the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is over.
Among voters who support the current governing coalition, half believe Netanyahu should leave office before the end of the legislative term, while 42 percent think he should complete his term.
In addition, 64% of the population believes that the country should reach a ceasefire agreement with the Islamist group that would allow the release of the Israeli hostages still in Gaza.
Source: Eitb
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.