- author, Rushdie Abu’alouf and Tom MacArthur
- role, BBC News
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The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said at least 71 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on designated humanitarian areas, which Israel said were aimed at senior Hamas officials.
More than 289 people were injured, the Health Ministry said.
The airstrikes hit the al-Mawasi area near Khan Yunis, which the Israeli military has designated a humanitarian zone and has urged Palestinians to evacuate.
Israeli military officials said they did not know how many people were killed in the attack, and did not say whether the two Hamas members were among the dead or wounded.
He said the attack targeted Hamas’ military chief, Mohammed Deif, a top Israeli target, and took place in an open area “where there are no civilians.”
He declined to say whether it was inside a designated safe zone, but said Hamas leaders had “cynically” taken up positions in civilian areas.
BBC Verification analysed footage of the aftermath of the attack and confirmed that it took place in an area described on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website as a humanitarian aid area.
The official also said he did not know whether there were any hostages held in the area during the October 7 Israeli attack.
Hamas commander Rafa Salama in Khan Younis was also targeted in the attack, the official said, adding that “precise intelligence” had been gathered before the “precision strike”.
Hamas said claims that its leaders had been targeted were “false.”
“This is not the first time that Israel has claimed to have targeted a Palestinian leader in a claim that later proved false,” the group said in a statement.
An eyewitness in Al Mawashi told the BBC that the attack looked like an “earthquake”. Footage from the scene showed smoldering wreckage and bloody wounded being loaded onto stretchers, as people frantically tried to pick up rubble from the large crater by hand.
One doctor at the hospital responding to the aftermath of the attack told the BBC that it was “one of our dark days”.
Dr Mohammed Abu Raya told the BBC World Service’s Newshour that most of the patients who had been rushed to the hospital had died, while others had suffered multiple shrapnel wounds.
He described it as “hell”, adding that many of the victims were civilians, particularly women and children.
Footage from a nearby Kuwaiti field hospital showed scenes of chaos with patients being treated on the floor.
British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said the Nasser medical facility in Khan Yunis was “overwhelmed” and could no longer function.
Mohammed Deif, leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, has become a prime target for the Israeli military.
He is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza.
The attack prompted Israeli forces to launch a major military operation in the Gaza Strip that has left more than 38,400 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
A Hamas official quoted by Reuters said the attack was a “major escalation” that showed Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement.
of Ceasefire negotiations The talks, taking place in Qatar and Egypt, ended without any results on Friday, the BBC understands.
Additional reporting by Europe correspondent Nick Beeck
