What is al-Mawasi and why did Israel attack a ‘safe zone’?

Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike on al-Mawasi, a crowded tent camp designated as a “humanitarian zone” housing people displaced by the war in Gaza, has killed at least 19 people and wounded 60. But what is al-Mawasi and what happened?

Related: Khan Younis safe zone strike: dozens killed in Israeli attack on al-Mawasi, Gaza officials say

What is al-Mawasi evacuation zone?

Situated to the west of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, al-Mawasi is a 10-mile (16km) strip of sandy farmland that stretches along the Mediterranean coast, with dunes and a beach close to the sea, and a scrubby plain further inland. It was first designated in early December last year as a “humanitarian zone” by the Israel Defense Forces, where it was suggested Palestinians could find safety and the provision of international aid in the midst of Israeli military assaults on Gaza’s main urban areas.

Amid evacuation orders for other areas, Palestinians have been told to relocate to al-Mawasi on multiple occasions, leading to the emergence of a substantial camp of temporary shelters.

The designation of al-Mawasi as a safe zone, but with little infrastructure, was criticised by senior UN aid officials including the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , who called it a “recipe for disaster” that would significantly increase health risks for those seeking shelter in an area with minimal infrastructure.

Is al-Mawasi a safe zone?

Far from it. Despite its designation, al-Mawasi has been attacked by Israeli forces on multiple occasions. In the most deadly attack, on 13 July, Israeli jets bombed al-Mawasi, killing 90 people and injuring 300 displaced Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The Israeli military said that strike had targeted and killed Mohammed Deif , the shadowy leader of Hamas’s military wing, but Hamas says Deif is still alive. Two attacks took place in late June, one in May and one in February, as well as the latest attack.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that Israel has shifted the boundaries of the evacuation zone numerous times, claiming that Hamas fighters have used it to take shelter. At times the size of the safe zone has been reduced by up to 15% or its boundaries have been shifted. While the IDF has used text messages in Arabic and phone calls to notify people of evacuation orders, 11 months into the war many Palestinians have little access to mobile communications.

Were Palestinians in al-Mawasi warned about the latest strike?

Not according to some of those displaced. “They told us to come to al-Mawasi, so we came to al-Mawasi, we settled here. The area was bombed without prior warning, they didn’t ask us to flee to a safer area or anything,” a Palestinian man told Agence France-Presse, without giving his name, after the latest airstrike, which killed between 19 and 40 people according to different accounts.

The Israeli military said its aircraft had “struck significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the humanitarian area in Khan Younis”. It added: “The terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip continue to systematically abuse civilian and humanitarian infrastructure, including the designated humanitarian area, to carry out terrorist activity against the state of Israel and IDF [Israeli army] troops.”