GAZA CITY: A new investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency has confirmed that the Israeli military used MK-84 bombs, manufactured in the United States, in an air strike targeting a refugee camp in Gaza’s al-Mawasi area on Tuesday night that killed at least 40 Palestinians.
The MK-84 bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds, were used in the assault on the humanitarian zone near Khan Younis. This area, designated as a safe zone for displaced Palestinians by the Israeli military, was hit around 12:34 AM local time (9:34 GMT). According to Gaza’s civil defense agency, the airstrike killed at least 40 people and injured around 60 others. Rescue operations have been hampered by the scale of the destruction and a shortage of equipment. Civil defense officials reported that efforts to recover the dead and injured were ongoing, with many still missing.
Gaza civil defense official Mohammed Al-Mughair said early Tuesday that “40 martyrs and 60 wounded were recovered and shifted” to nearby hospitals after the overnight attack. “We are still working to recover fifteen missing people as a result of targeting the tents of the displaced in Khan Yunis,” Mughair said.
The attack caused extensive damage to tents, homes, and facilities. The bombing created craters ranging from 10 to 15 meters deep, burying many shelters.
“Over 20 to 40 tents were completely destroyed,” he added, saying the attack left behind “three deep craters.” “There are entire families who completely disappeared under the sand in the Mawasi Khan Yunis butchery.”
Since October 7, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at 41,020 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the territory’s health ministry said. The latest figures also include 32 deaths recorded in the previous 24 hours. More than 94,925 Palestinians have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned and denunciated the targeting of a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi, Khan Younis, in the southwest Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
The ministry in a statement said the incident resulted in killing and injuring dozens in yet another instance of violent attacks on unarmed civilians by the Israeli war machine.
The Kingdom reaffirmed its categorical rejection of continued Israeli genocide and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The statement held the Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for the continued violation of all international and humanitarian norms and laws.
The Kingdom also stressed the legal, humanitarian and moral responsibility of the global community to activate international accountability mechanisms and put an end to these ongoing violations of international law and resolutions by the Israeli occupation forces.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the attack as “shocking” and emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza. He expressed his concern at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland, also condemned the airstrike. Wennesland stressed the importance of upholding international humanitarian law and criticized the use of civilian areas for military targets, stating that “civilians must never be used as human shields.”
Meanwhile, Australia has urged Israel to accept a ceasefire deal backed by the UN Security Council. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated the need for a ceasefire to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian aid, and prevent further regional tensions.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the ongoing war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip.
The OIC in a statement issued on Tuesday said the latest atrocity was the brutal massacre resulting from the targeting of tents sheltering displaced persons in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.
This heinous attack led to the killing and injury of dozens of Palestinian civilians, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law, UN Security Council resolutions, and relevant orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The OIC stressed that the international community’s failure to uphold its responsibilities in enforcing justice, international law, and resolutions of international legitimacy has only emboldened the Israeli occupation, strengthened a culture of impunity, and exacerbated the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip.
The organization called upon the UN Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities by imposing an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and taking decisive measures to end the Israeli occupation regime and its illegal colonial settlement policy in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been mediating in efforts to forge a truce and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, but talks remain delayed. Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip as part of any agreement, but Israel insists forces must remain along the Gaza-Egypt border.
