Israeli Strikes Hit Al-Mawasi Near Khan Younis, Killing At Least 90, UN Says

A new Israeli bombardment hit the Al-Mawasi area, previously designated a humanitarian safe zone, near Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Saturday, leaving at least 90 dead and 300 wounded, according to UN News.

“Medical sources reported the martyrdom of Palestinians and injuries to others today, Saturday, due to a strike by an Israeli drone on refugee tents in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while a child died from wounds he sustained in a previous Israeli bombing”

Al-Jazeera Net

The UN’s Scott Anderson, the UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza, visited the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, where he said, "Yesterday, while visiting the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen during my nine months in Gaza," in a statement released on Sunday.

Al-Jazeera Net

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said through his spokesman that he was "shocked and saddened by the loss of life" after the strike, and the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory condemned the "ongoing use by the Israeli army of large-impact weapons in densely populated areas of Gaza".

The Israeli army said the strike targeted Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's military wing, while the UN Secretary-General reiterated that there must be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, with the release of all hostages "immediately and unconditionally."

In Khan Younis, Scott Anderson described conditions at the Nasser Medical Complex, saying, "Lacking beds, hygiene equipment, sheets or gowns, many patients were treated on the floor, without disinfectants."

He also said, "Ventilation systems were off due to electricity and fuel shortages, and the air was thick with the smell of blood," as patients were treated after the Saturday bombing.

France 24

The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the attack occurred in a densely populated area "designated as a humanitarian zone housing displaced people," adding that "This underscores that nowhere in Gaza is safe."

In parallel, France 24 reported Gaza Civil Defense said 12 people died in Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory on Sunday, and it quoted Ossama Abou Askar telling AFP, "Israel does not understand what a ceasefire or a truce is."

Al-Jazeera Net reported that Israeli drone strikes killed Palestinians in Khan Younis and the northern Gaza Strip, including the 10-year-old Walid Youssef Abu Jazar, and it said an Israeli drone fired at least two missiles toward a vehicle in the Maghazi camp, leaving martyrs and wounded.

“Airstrike on Al-Mawasi: a UN official witnesses some of the 'most horrific scenes' he has seen in nine months in Gaza”

UN News

It also said Israeli armored vehicles and tanks penetrated east of the Maghazi camp and the city of Deir al-Balah about 200 meters, with heavy gunfire and the removal of cement barriers tied to the 'Yellow Line,' a security strip imposed by Israel inside the Gaza Strip.

The same report said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the army currently controls about 70% of the Gaza Strip’s area, and it calculated that Israel occupies about 255 square kilometers out of 365 square kilometers, with control expanding from 53% when the ceasefire came into effect to 60% on May 15 and then to 70% currently.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire, telling Anadolu Agency that "These violations require a clear stance from the mediators to pressure the occupation to stop them," while France 24 reported the Israeli army said it responded to a "flagrant violation" of the ceasefire.