Israel airstrikes people’s tents in Gaza with US bombs killing 40 Palestinians

At least 40 Palestinians were killed and several others injured early Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

 

Eyewitnesses said Israel struck the Al-Mawasi area, a designated humanitarian zone, with at least three missiles.

 

At least 20 tents where the displaced Palestinians are staying caught on fire. The missiles also caused deep craters.

 

A Gaza civil emergency official said teams are still removing the dead and wounded from the area.

 

The official said they have been struggling to search for victims who might have been buried.

 

While the Israeli army claimed that it “struck Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command-and-control center embedded inside the humanitarian area in Khan Younis,” Hamas denied the allegations, saying this is “a clear lie that aims to justify these ugly crimes.”

 

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip-now nearly a year old-has killed around 41,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 94,800 others, according to local health authorities.

 

A continuing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

 

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said Israeli warplanes dropped three US-made 2,000-pound (900 kg) MK-84 bombs on a tent camp in al-Mawasi at midnight as civilians were sleeping.

 

According to several media reports, the US transferred, in 2023 and 2024, more than 14,000 MK-84 bombs to Israel.

 

“The bombs caused craters as deep as several meters, burying about 20 tents with families inside,” the rights group said in a statement.

 

“Many tents, with entire families inside, were buried under the sand,” it added.

 

Euro-Med said international silence was encouraging Israel to commit more “crimes” against Palestinians.

 

“The silence and disregard for such unprecedented massacres in the history of wars…is shameful and constitutes a green light for Israel to continue committing them within a clear approach to mass killing and eliminating Palestinians,” it said.

 

“The US is a partner in this crime, as it supplies the Israeli army with weapons and destructive bombs despite knowing that they are used to kill hundreds of civilians every time,” it added.

 

Last month, at least 100 people were killed and dozen