GAZA CITY — An Israeli airstrike killed at least 90 Palestinians in a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza on Saturday, according to the enclave’s health ministry. Israel said the attack targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated it was unclear if Deif and another Hamas commander had been killed. He pledged to continue targeting Hamas leadership, asserting that increased military pressure could improve the chances of a hostage deal, even as ceasefire talks were separately halted on Saturday.
“Either way, we will get to the whole of the leadership of Hamas,” Netanyahu said at a news conference.
Hamas denied Deif had been killed, with a senior official stating on Al Jazeera TV that Israeli claims were false and aimed at justifying the attack, which was the deadliest Israeli assault in Gaza in weeks.
Displaced people sheltering in the area described their tents being destroyed by the force of the strike, with bodies and body parts scattered on the ground.
“I couldn’t even tell where I was or what was happening,” said Sheikh Youssef, a resident of Gaza City currently displaced in the Al-Mawasi area. “I left the tent and looked around; all the tents were knocked down, bodies everywhere, elderly women thrown on the floor, young children in pieces,” he told Reuters.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed shock and sadness at the civilian deaths, stating that it underscored that “nowhere is safe in Gaza,” and emphasized that international humanitarian law must be upheld.
The Israeli military said the strike also targeted Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, describing them as masterminds of the October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the nine-month war in Gaza. Deif has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021, and has been on Israel’s most wanted list for decades.
The Gaza health ministry reported that at least 91 Palestinians were killed in the strike and 300 injured, marking the deadliest toll in weeks in the conflict-ravaged enclave. Al-Mawasi is a designated humanitarian area that the Israeli army has urged Palestinians to relocate to after issuing evacuation orders from other areas.
Reuters footage showed ambulances racing towards the area amidst clouds of smoke and dust. Displaced people, including women and children, were fleeing in panic, some clutching their belongings.
The Israeli military published an aerial photo of the site, which Reuters could not immediately verify, claiming “terrorists hid among civilians.” The military described the location as an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, and sheds, and stated it was an operational compound run by Hamas, not a tent complex.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday to discuss Israel’s Gaza operations, emphasizing the need to minimize civilian harm, according to the Pentagon.
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s Foreign Affairs and Security Policy representative, called for an independent probe and condemned any potential violation of international law, stating on social media that the “end can’t justify all means.”
