Sept. 9 (UPI) — Israeli warplanes attacked Hamas militants operating in a command complex within a humanitarian area of southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said early Tuesday. Palestinian health officials state the airstrikes killed and injured dozens.
The IDF said the attack targeted militants within the Humanitarian Area of Khan Yunis where the Iran proxy militia “advanced and carried out terror attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel.”
In defense of the attack, the IDF accused Hamas of using civilian and humanitarian infrastructure within the Palestinian enclave to attack the Middle Eastern country. It added that precision munitions and aerial surveillance were among the “numerous steps” it took prior to launching the strikes to “mitigate the risk of harming civilians.”
WAFA, the state-run news agency of the Palestinian Authority, claims the attack hit tents housing those displaced by the war in the al-Mawasi refugee camp.
Health officials said more than 65 people were either injured or killed.
“A large number of martyrs and wounded were recovered, including cases of amputation, and our crews are still searching for missing persons among the tents of the displaced,” the civilian defense service said in a statement.
This is a developing story.
