Israel Says Deadly Strike on Gaza Camp Was Aimed at Hamas

(Bloomberg) -- Israel attacked what it said was a Hamas base hidden in a Gaza camp for displaced Palestinians, an incident likely to stoke international concern for civilians caught up in the almost year-long war.

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The Hamas-run health ministry said Tuesday that 19 people were killed in the overnight air strike on Mawasi, near the city of Khan Younis, after the group’s media office earlier put the number of casualties at 40. Dozens more were reported injured.

The Israel Defense Forces said the assault was aimed at senior Hamas fighters operating a command-and-control center “embedded” in the humanitarian area, according to a statement. Three Hamas members directly involved in the Oct. 7 invasion that triggered the war were among those targeted, the IDF said.

Hamas denied it had fighters in the area, a stretch of coastal scrubland and sand dunes where hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been sheltering since Israel designated it a humanitarian zone.

The assault extends the fallout from Israel’s offensive to topple Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union. The Israelis have faced allegations of war crimes, which they reject, during a campaign that has left much of Gaza in rubble and upended the lives of the more than 2 million people who live there.

The US, less than two months out from a presidential election in which the Gaza crisis has been a divisive topic, is overseeing efforts mediated by Qatar and Egypt to secure a cease-fire. Those talks have stagnated for several months, stuck on issues such as Israel’s military presence in the border area between Gaza and Egypt, and the make up of an exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners.

About 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war to date, according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza. The Iran-backed group’s fighters killed about 1,200 people and abducted 250 during the Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel that triggered the conflict. Another 340 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza and on other fronts.

Unverified footage on social media showed residents digging up sand and pulling out bodies in the Mawasi. A witness said the strikes left three craters and destroyed more than 20 tents.

The IDF said numerous steps were taken to mitigate risks to civilians prior to the attacks, including use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance. Israel has previously said it would refrain from attacking the Mawasi unless Palestinian fighters operated there.

“Despite the extensive measures taken by the IDF to enable the Gazan population to move away from combat zones, including by designating a Humanitarian Area, the Hamas terrorist organization continues to embed its operatives and military infrastructure” in those places, the IDF said.

Read: US Still Pushing Gaza Cease-Fire Deal as Israel and Hamas Dig In

In July, about 90 displaced Palestinians were killed in a strike in the Mawasi. Israel said at the time that the attack targeted and killed Mohammed Deif, a top Hamas commander.

--With assistance from Fadwa Hodali.

(Updates to reflect amended Palestinian death toll.)

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