An Israeli airstrike has targeted the mastermind behind the 7 October attack, a security official has said, in an attack the Hamas-run health ministry said killed dozens.
The authorities in the besieged enclave have said at least 71 people died and a further 290 were injured in the attack on the southern city of Khan Younis, which it is claimed hit tents occupied by refugees fleeing the conflict.
The local hospital has said is it overwhelmed and “no longer able to function” due to the large number of casualties.
The militant group, which runs the Palestinian territory, has described the strike as “a grave escalation” and evidence Israel was not interested in a ceasefire.
It was unclear whether Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif was killed, along with another senior militant leader Rafa Salama, who was also targeted.
Deif was the secretive commander behind Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel last October, which triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
Rising up the Hamas ranks over 30 years, Deif developed the group’s network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise.
He is held responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.
He had survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021 and has topped the most
wanted list for decades.
Footage taken in the aftermath of Saturday’s airstrike showed ambulances racing to the scene amid clouds of smoke and dust, as people ran in panic.
Witnesses said the attack was a surprise as the area had been calm.
One woman in tears said: “They’re all gone, my whole family’s gone.. where are my brothers? They’re all gone, they’re all gone. There’s no one left.
“Our children are in pieces, they are in pieces. Shame (on you).”
Hamas insurgents stormed into southern Israel on 7 October and killed some 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducted about 250 hostages.
Israel retaliated by launching an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 38,300 people in the besieged enclave, according to the territory’s health ministry.
It does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have sought safety in tent camps in central and southern Gaza.
Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of law and order have hampered humanitarian aid efforts, causing widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.
The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to take steps to protect Palestinians as it examines genocide allegations against Israeli leaders. Israel denies the charge.
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