Khan Younis massacre: Over 10 killed as 'Israel' bombs displaced tents

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Jan 2025 08:31

The massacre is part of a broader escalation in central Gaza, where IOF artillery targeted the northern Nuseirat refugee camp, and Israeli warships shelled its coastline.

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Palestinians look at residential buildings, destroyed by an Israeli strike in Rafah on March 20, 2024. (AP)

Israeli occupation forces carried out a deadly attack early this morning, marking the 454th day of genocide in Gaza, targeting a tent sheltering forcibly displaced families in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The brutal Israeli airstrike killed at least 11 people, including three children, and left 12 others injured. Among the victims was Major General Mahmoud Salah, the Director General of Gaza's Police Force in the Ministry of Interior.

Concurrently, IOF also intensified their bombardment across central Gaza. Artillery fire struck the northern Nuseirat refugee camp, while warships shelled its coastline. Meanwhile, Israeli helicopters launched aerial attacks on the southwestern region of Deir al-Balah.

A Palestinian child is killed by the israelis in the first moments of the new year in a targeted missile strike on Gaza: they start as they mean to go on pic.twitter.com/EIW5wzA96R
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) January 1, 2025

In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes, while invading units targeted the Safatawi area in the northwest and the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

The escalation has further exacerbated the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with civilian casualties continuing to rise amid relentless attacks and suffocating Israeli blockade.

North Gaza residents are banned from collecting their belongings: Israeli media

On the other hand, Israeli media reported on Thursday that Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip are reportedly forcing Palestinian residents to abandon their belongings, including their clothing, despite humanitarian organizations warning of a severe shortage of protective garments in the region.

Nir Hasson, the Haaretz correspondent for al-Quds, who reports on subjects including antiquities and the climate crisis, stated that although the Israeli army asserts that Gaza residents are permitted to carry personal belongings during evacuations—except for combat equipment—this claim is false.

Hasson added that the Israeli army is forcing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate towards the South. Still, it is preventing them from taking their personal belongings with them.

He added that the occupation soldiers are forcing the displaced to leave their belongings and even their clothes behind, even though humanitarian organizations indicate that there is a shortage of warm clothing among the residents of the Strip.

Day 453 of Israeli genocide in Gaza: 45,553 killed, 108,379 injured

The Israeli occupation forces have killed 45,553 Palestinians, while another 108,379 have been injured since October 7, 2023, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Wednesday.

At the time, the Israeli occupation committed two massacres across the Gaza Strip in 24 hours, killing 12 Palestinians and injuring 41 others.

While some victims were transported to the few partially functioning hospitals, many remain trapped under the rubble or in areas inaccessible to ambulance and Civil Defense teams.

Over the past few days, heavy rainfall has flooded over 1,542 tents housing forcibly displaced families in camps and shelters across the Gaza Strip.

The General Directorate of Civil Defense reported on Wednesday that rescue teams found hundreds of tents submerged in over 30 cm of water, which damaged the belongings of displaced residents.

The hardest-hit areas included the Yarmouk Stadium and Gaza Municipality Park camps, where 242 tents were flooded. In the Saraya complex, 185 tents were affected, and 70 tents in the Shujaiya parking lot were submerged.

In Rafah, 170 tents along Sea Street and near the Fash Fesh rest area were inundated. In Khan Younis, over 665 tents were damaged, while 210 tents in the central governorate, particularly in Deir al-Balah, al-Bassa, and Wadi al-Salqa, were also severely impacted.

Meanwhile, rescue teams are continuing efforts to provide assistance and assess the full extent of damage despite the challenges.