Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that an Israeli strike on a humanitarian zone in the south of the Palestinian territory killed 40 people and wounded 60 others, with the Israeli army saying it had targeted a Hamas command centre in the area. The strike hit Al-Mawasi -- in Gaza's main southern city of Khan Yunis -- which was designated a safe zone by the Israeli military early in the war, with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge there. However, Israel's military has occasionally carried out operations in and around the area, including a strike in July that it said killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, and which Gaza health authorities said killed more than 90 people.

Gaza civil defence official Mohammed Al-Mughair told  early Tuesday that "40 martyrs and 60 injured were recovered and transferred" to nearby hospitals following the overnight strike. "Our crews are still working to recover 15 missing people as a result of targeting the tents of the displaced in Mawasi, Khan Yunis," Mughair added. In a separate statement, civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said that people sheltering in the camp had not been warned of the strike, adding a shortage of tools and equipment was hindering rescue operations. "More than 20 to 40 tents were completely damaged," he said, adding the strike left behind "three deep craters". "There are entire families who disappeared under the sand in the Mawasi Khan Yunis massacre."

Credit: Independent News Pakistan