Death toll rises to 71 in devastating Khan Yunis attack
At least 71 people have died, and more than 290 were injured in an attack carried out by Israeli troops on the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry of this Palestinian territory, cited by Reuters.
On Saturday, the Israeli military conducted an attack on the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. According to information from the Hamas-controlled health ministry, at least 71 people have died, and more than 290 were injured.
The Civil Defense of the Gaza Strip described the attack as a "new massacre", adding that many bodies remain "on the streets, under the rubble, and around refugee tents," but they cannot be reached due to the intense shelling.
The Israeli military stated in a statement that the target of the attack in the southern Gaza Strip was Hamas commanders and terrorists, including Mohammed Deif, the leader of the armed wing of this movement.
The military is still awaiting confirmation from intelligence services that Deif and Salameh were killed in the attack. Meanwhile, Saudi station Al-Hadath reported that Salameh was killed in the attack, and Deif was seriously injured.
"The strike was aimed at terrorists"
Dozens of Hamas members were present at the scene, the strike was aimed at terrorists, writes the Times of Israel portal, quoting a "military source."
According to the IDF, Deif and Salameh were in one of the houses in an area inhabited by civilians at the time of the attack but not in the tent camp for displaced Palestinians.
Many of the dead and injured were taken to the nearby Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis. Journalists from the Associated Press on the scene reported that more than 40 bodies were at this one facility.
The director of a hospital in Rafah, where the injured were also taken, reported that most of the wounded had sustained severe injuries.
