Video caption, Chaos as other people flee after an Israeli airstrike hits Khan YounisArticle informationAuthor, Rushdi Abualouf, Tom McArthur and Lucy Clarke-BillingsRole, BBC News13 July 2024, 10:51 BSTUpdated 29 mins agoThe Hamas-run well being ministry in Gaza says a minimum of 90 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a chosen humanitarian house.About 300 other people were injured, in keeping with the well being ministry’s commentary, in an assault which Israel says focused senior Hamas chief Mohammed Deif and his deputy Rafa Salama. In a information convention on Saturday night time, Israeli High Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned there was once “no walk in the park” that both of them were killed. The strike hit the al-Mawasi house close to Khan Younis, which the Israeli army has designated as a humanitarian zone.An eyewitness in al-Mawasi instructed the BBC that the web site of the strike gave the impression of an “earthquake” had hit.Movies from the world display smouldering wreckage and bloodied casualties being loaded directly to stretchers. Other people may also be noticed making an attempt desperately to select in the course of the rubble of a big crater with their palms.BBC Check has analysed photos of the aftermath of the strike, confirming that it happened inside of a space proven at the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) web site as a humanitarian zone.Mr Netanyahu mentioned he gave the order for the operation to head forward after being briefed by way of his common safety forces. He mentioned he sought after to grasp there have been no hostages close by, the level of the collateral harm and what sorts of guns could be used.Right through the inside track convention, he promised to eliminate the entire team’s senior participants. “Both manner, we will be able to get to the entire of the management of Hamas,” Mr Netanyahu added. Later Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, quoted by way of the AFP information company, accused Mr Netanyahu of searching for to dam a ceasefire within the Gaza struggle with “heinous massacres”.Hamas mentioned the declare that their leaders have been goals was once “false”.”It isn’t the primary time Israel claims to focus on Palestinian leaders, best to be confirmed false later,” the crowd mentioned in a commentary.An Israeli army professional mentioned the strike happened in an “open house” the place there have been “no civilians”.He refused to mention whether or not it was once inside of a chosen secure zone, however mentioned Hamas leaders had “cynically” arrange in a civilian house.The professional additionally mentioned he was once ignorant of any hostages taken all over the 7 October assault on Israel being within the house.He added that “correct intelligence” was once amassed earlier than the “precision strike”.Symbol caption, Mohammed Deif has been running within the shadows of Gaza for decadesOne of the docs at a sanatorium coping with the aftermath of the assault has instructed the BBC it’s “one of the most black days”.Chatting with Newshour at the BBC International Provider, Dr Mohammed Abu Rayya mentioned nearly all of instances coming in have been lifeless, with others affected by a couple of shrapnel wounds.He mentioned it was once like being in “hell”, including that lots of the casualties have been civilians, significantly ladies and kids.Photos from the close by Kuwait box sanatorium confirmed scenes of chaos with sufferers being handled at the ground.The Nasser clinical complicated in Khan Younis is “crushed” and now not ready to serve as, mentioned British charity Clinical Support for Palestinians.Who’s Mohammed Deif?Mohammed Deif, the pinnacle of Hamas’s army wing the al-Qassam Brigades, is considered one of Israel’s maximum sought after males.He was once imprisoned by way of Israeli government in 1989, and then he shaped the Brigades with the purpose of shooting Israeli infantrymen.Israel accuses him of making plans and supervising bus bombings which killed tens of Israelis in 1996, and of involvement within the seize and killing of 3 Israeli infantrymen within the mid-Nineties.It’s idea he was once one of the most masterminds at the back of the 7 October Hamas assault, when about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners – most commonly civilians – have been killed and 251 others have been taken again to Gaza as hostages.It resulted in the main Israeli army operation in Gaza which has killed greater than 38,400 Palestinians, in keeping with the Hamas-run well being ministry. A Hamas professional, cited by way of Reuters, referred to as Saturday’s assault a “grave escalation” that confirmed Israel was once no longer excited about attaining a ceasefire settlement.The ceasefire negotiations being held in Qatar and Egypt ended on Friday with out good fortune, the BBC understands.Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence company mentioned that during a separate incident, 17 other people were killed in an Israeli strike west of Gaza. The assault is alleged to have focused a prayer corridor within the Shati refugee camp to the west of Gaza Town. The Israeli army has no longer but commented at the declare.
