Hamas Official Denounces Israeli Report on Military Chief as 'Nonsense'

“All the martyrs are civilians, and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by American support and world silence,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Zuhri added that the attack demonstrated Israel's lack of interest in reaching a ceasefire agreement.

Analyst Hassan Barari stated that the reported justification for the al-Mawasi attack, which involved the unconfirmed targeting of Deif, is part of a “deliberate” Israeli strategy.

“This is a continuation of a deliberate strategy by the Israeli government to kill as many Palestinians as possible, to put more pressure on Hamas, and to perpetuate the war,” Barari, a professor at Qatar University’s Department of International Affairs, told Al Jazeera.

Barari emphasized that targeting senior Hamas officials does not justify the killing of civilians and innocent people.

The attack indicates that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not interested in a ceasefire deal, Barari noted.

“He’s not interested in any quietness; he’s not interested in any deal, short of the submission of Hamas,” he added.

Israeli Army Radio reported that there was a high-profile target in the al-Mawasi strikes, describing it as “very significant.”

The report, citing unspecified Israeli military officials, stated that the results of the attack are not immediately clear.

Israeli media suggested that Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif was the target of the strike and possibly another senior figure with him.

This pattern of justifying attacks on areas designated as “safe zones” by the Israeli military to achieve their war objectives has been observed repeatedly.

Attacks on areas with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have become a recurring event.

The latest incident is described as a massacre by the Israeli military in an area where people were told to seek refuge.

Israeli fighter jets targeted al-Mawasi with five bombs and five missiles, hitting displaced Palestinians.

Gaza’s Government Media Office reported over 100 Palestinians killed or injured. Civil defense crews reported that emergency workers were targeted while rescuing the wounded.

Scenes of devastation and bloodshed are emerging, with victims including young children, women, and elderly people.

The Kuwaiti field hospital and the Nasser medical facility are overwhelmed with the wounded.

People are panicked and terrified as thousands of makeshift shelters established in the area were hit.

Emergency workers continue to search for survivors to deliver them to field hospitals for medical treatment.

Journalist Firas Abu Sharkh, wounded while covering the Israeli shelling in al-Mawasi, stated that Israeli forces “directly targeted” civil defense and Ministry of Health teams.

“When we arrived at the scene, the civil defense teams and the Ministry of Health were directly targeted,” he said.

“The rockets fell on civilians violently and indiscriminately. We tried to save them. The place is crowded with civilians, and the tents are full of displaced people; this is supposed to be a safe place.”

Many women and children were among the killed and wounded who have arrived at the hospitals.