Israeli airstrike kills 7 Palestinians in ‘safe zone’ in southern Gaza

By Mohamed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - At least seven Palestinians were killed and several injured in an Israeli airstrike Sunday on displaced people’s tents in an area of southern Gaza previously designated as a "safe zone" by the army.

Medical sources told Anadolu that the strike set the tents ablaze, resulting in casualties, with medical teams continuing to respond to the wounded.

"Our teams are responding to an Israeli attack on displaced Palestinians’ tents near the British hospital in the Al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis," the Gaza Civil Defense Directorate said in a statement.

Civilians and civil defense teams rushed to contain the blaze, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities including schools, hospitals and places of worship in its offensive on Gaza, repeatedly claiming, often without evidence, that they were striking targets belonging to the Palestinian group Hamas.

Under the rules of war, targeting civilian facilities can constitute a war crime.

Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 that has since killed more than 45,200 people, mostly women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala