The Israeli military bombed makeshift displacement tents in the Al Mawasi area of the Gaza Strip on Sept. 9, 2024.
The strike occurred in a region Israel had previously designated as a safe humanitarian zone. This incident raises critical questions about the safety of civilians who follow military evacuation orders to seek refuge in designated zones.
Al Mawasi is a makeshift tent camp located near Khan Younis. The Israeli military said the strike targeted Hamas militants and a command center operating within the area [1, 2]. Despite the designation of the zone as humanitarian, the military proceeded with the airstrike [1, 3].
Reports on the number of casualties vary across sources. Some reports state at least two Palestinians were killed [3], while other accounts place the number at 14 [5] or at least 19 [1]. Other sources report that at least 40 Palestinians died in the attack [2, 4]. The New York Post described the casualties as dozens [6].
This attack follows a pattern of military activity in areas where displaced persons have congregated. The Al Mawasi region has seen an influx of civilians seeking shelter from ongoing combat in other parts of the Gaza Strip. The use of airstrikes in these concentrated areas increases the risk of mass civilian casualties, regardless of the intended military target.
Israeli officials said Hamas utilizes civilian infrastructure and safe zones to hide operatives. However, the presence of displacement tents in the strike zone indicates that civilians were in the immediate vicinity of the targeted command center [1, 2].
“The Israeli military bombed makeshift displacement tents in the Al Mawasi area.”
The strike in Al Mawasi underscores the volatility of 'safe zones' in Gaza. When the Israeli military targets command centers within humanitarian areas, it complicates the ability of international aid organizations to guarantee civilian safety and may discourage displaced populations from following evacuation orders.
