The Israeli army has launched attacks across Gaza, after attacks on an area where tents of displaced Palestinians were located in the Al-Mawasi region of Rafah killed at least 25 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.
At least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Shati refugee camp and Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City on Saturday, the head of the government’s media office told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said the Israeli military targeted a residential neighborhood in the Shati refugee camp, where displaced Palestinians from the north of the territory have been told to seek refuge.
“Rescuers with the help of civilians are searching the ruins to find survivors,” he said. “More and more victims are arriving at Al-Aqsa Hospital.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that 101 Palestinians were killed and 169 wounded in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours. Many are still under the rubble, and emergency vehicles and civil protection teams cannot reach them.
This is the highest daily death toll the ministry has registered in the enclave since June 8, when Israeli forces in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 274 Palestinians to free four Israeli hostages.
Palestinian officials say at least 25 people were killed and 50 wounded on Friday in two Israeli attacks on an area near the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) base in al-Mawasi camp – designated by Israel as a safe zone, the report said for the Associated Press news agency.
The ICRC condemned the attack on the camp, saying the location of its humanitarian office, which was hit, was known to the warring parties. They reported that 22 people were killed and 45 were wounded.
“The attack damaged the ICRC office, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, including many of our Palestinian colleagues,” the ICRC said.
Al Jazeera’s reporter Abu Azzoum noted that in the last 24 hours, after the attack on al-Mawasi, Israeli attacks have intensified.
“Witnesses said that Israeli tanks suddenly entered al-Mawasi, firing a barrage of artillery shells at evacuation centers and makeshift tents,” Abu Azzoum said.
“The entire area of al-Mawasi is an evacuation center. It is a small part of the country where more than 100,000 Palestinians have found refuge. Field hospitals and centers of humanitarian organizations are located there,” he added.
The Israeli military says it has “no indication” that it was responsible for the attack on the camp, but said it was investigating the allegations. Earlier, the army announced that its forces in the Rafah area were carrying out “precise operations based on intelligence”.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 37,500 people have been killed and 85,900 wounded in Israel’s war against Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the Hamas-led attacks stands at 1,139, with dozens of people still trapped in Gaza.
