Dozens killed, injured in Gaza humanitarian zone as Israeli warplanes target Hamas

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday said warplanes attacked Hamas militants operating in a command complex within a humanitarian area of southern Gaza as Palestinian health officials state the airstrikes killed and injured dozens of civilians.

The IDF said the attack targeted militants within the Humanitarian Area of Khan Yunis where the Iran proxy militia "advanced and carried out terror attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel."

In defense of the attack, the IDF accused Hamas of using civilian and humanitarian infrastructure within the Palestinian enclave to attack the Middle Eastern country. It added that precision munitions and aerial surveillance were among the "numerous steps" it took prior to launching the strikes to "mitigate the risk of harming civilians."

IDF said the attack struck Samer Ismail Khadr Abu Daqq, head of Hamas' aerial unit in Gaza; Osama Tabesh, head of the Observations and Targets Department in Hamas' Military Intelligence Headquarters; and Ayman Mabhouh a "senior Hamas terrorist."

WAFA, the state-run news agency of the Palestinian Authority, claims the attack hit tents housing those displaced by the war in the Al-Mawasi refugee camp.

Health officials said 40 people were killed and 60 more were wounded.

"A large number of martyrs and wounded were recovered, including cases of amputation, and our crews are still searching for missing persons among the tents of the displaced," the civilian defense service said in a statement .

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using Palestinians and civilian infrastructure as shields amid the war, allegations that Hamas denies.

In a statement, Hamas refuted the IDF's claim that it was using the Khan Yunis humanitarian area for its attacks.

"This is a clear lie that aims to justify these ugly crimes," it said, The Guardian reported. "The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or using these places for military purposes."

Israel and Hamas have been at war for nearly a year, beginning Oct. 7 when the Iran proxy militia launched a bloody surprise attack on the Middle Eastern country that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw another 251 kidnapped. About 97 hostages remain unaccounted for.

Early in the conflict, the Israeli military designated Al-Mawasi a humanitarian area. It was designated to house Palestinians who Israel was evacuating from northern Gaza.

More than 55 evacuations orders remain in effect, covering 86% of Gaza, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The United Nations relief mission for Palestinian refugees states that up to 1.9 million of its roughly 2 million residents are internally displaced with some having been forced to move on several occasions. UNRWA states that some have been displaced nine or 10 times.

The war has razed much of Gaza and, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between militant and civilian, killed nearly 41,000 people and injured about 95,000 others.