At least 25 dead in Israeli bombardment of tents in al-Mawasi

Israeli forces on Friday shelled tent camps for displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi region, which Israel has declared a “humanitarian security zone.” At least 25 people were killed and another 50 injured.

The area is located northwest of the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

This was the latest deadly attack in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands have fled Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. It came less than a month after an Israeli bombing started a deadly fire at a camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza and sparked widespread international outrage – including from some of Israel’s closest allies – over the escalation of the military offensive in Rafah.

Witnesses whose relatives were killed in one of the bombings near a Red Cross field hospital north of Rafah reported The Associated Press that Israeli forces fired a second volley, killing people coming out of their tents.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the hospital was overwhelmed with casualties, including 22 dead and 45 injured, and condemned the firing of “large-caliber projectiles” a few meters from the facility. Hundreds of people are living in tents nearby, including many hospital staff, the ICRC said.