Israeli airstrikes hit a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and igniting fires that tore through the makeshift shelters, according to hospital officials, in the latest attack on an area previously designated as a humanitarian safe zone.
Dr. Atif al-Hout, director of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reported at least 28 wounded in the Muwasi camp strike. An Associated Press journalist at the hospital counted at least 15 bodies, noting the difficulty in determining an exact count due to dismemberment and severe burns. The morgue received victims including an infant, whose blackened hand and face were visible beneath a blanket.
“It was like doomsday,” said survivor Iman Jumaa, fighting tears as she described losing her father, brothers, and their children in the attack.
The Israeli military said it targeted senior Hamas militants “involved in terrorist activities” in the area, claiming secondary explosions indicated the presence of weapons. The military provided no additional details about the specific targets.
The strike was one of several deadly attacks across Gaza Wednesday. In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Al-Awda Hospital reported two deaths and 38 injuries from a separate strike on a residential block.
The violence continues as humanitarian conditions deteriorate, particularly in northern Gaza where experts warn of potential famine. The Biden administration has pledged to pursue ceasefire negotiations following the recent Israel-Hezbollah truce in Lebanon, while President-elect Donald Trump has demanded Hamas release remaining hostages before his January inauguration.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 44,500 Palestinians killed since the war began, following Hamas’ October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 hostages.
