Dozens Of People Died As A Result Of Israeli Airstrikes On The Humanitarian Zone In Gaza Strip

Illustration of Israeli fighter jets. (Wikimedia Commons/Deror Avi)

JAKARTA - Gaza authorities said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed at least 68 people in the Gaza Strip, including in a refugee camp that also killed the head of the local police.

The attack took place in the Al-Mawasi District which was designated a humanitarian zone for civilians at the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza.

Director General of the Gaza Police Department Mahmoud Salah, and his aide Hussam Shahwan, who was examining camp residents, were killed in the attack, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Interior Ministry.

"By committing the crime of killing a police director general in the Gaza Strip, the occupation insisted on spreading chaos in the (region of the pockets) and deepening the suffering of citizens," the ministry added in a statement.

Meanwhile, Israel said the deputy was the head of the security forces of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military said it had carried out intelligence-based attacks in Al-Mawasi, just west of Khan Younis's city, and eliminated Shahwan, saying it was leading Hamas forces in southern Gaza. They did not mention Salah's death.

"When the year begins, we get another reminder that there is no humanitarian zone let alone a safe zone" in Gaza, said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA in a post on X.

"Every day without a ceasefire will bring more tragedy," he added.

The death toll on Thursday was among the highest in recent weeks.

Another Israeli airstrike killed at least 57 Palestinians, including six people at the headquarters of the interior ministry in Khan Younis and others at the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, the Shati (Datai) camp, the Maghazi camp in central Gaza, and Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants who according to intelligence were operating in the command and control center "located inside the Khan Younis municipality building in the Humanitarian Area".

When asked about the death toll reported on Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman said they were following international law in carrying out the war in Gaza, taking "deserved precautions to reduce civilian losses".

The latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, killing 1,200 people and holding 251 others hostage according to Israeli calculations.

In response, Israel carried out a blockade to a military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Local health authorities confirmed on Thursday that the death toll from Palestine since the latest conflict broke out had reached 45,581, while another 108,438 were injured, with the majority of the victims being children and women, quoted from WAFA.

The Israeli military has always accused Gaza militants of using residential areas built for cover. On the other hand, Hamas denied the allegations.