The Israeli military, using powerful MK-84 bombs supplied by the US, struck a designated “humanitarian safe zone” in southern Gaza, according to a Geneva-based human rights organization. Entire families were buried in the attack.
At least 40 Palestinians were killed, and dozens more injured, in Israeli airstrikes early Tuesday on a refugee tent camp in Khan Younis, specifically in the al-Mawasi area, which Israel had labeled as a “humanitarian zone” for displaced civilians.
Gaza’s civil defense service reported that Israeli missiles created craters up to nine meters deep in the area.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated that Israeli warplanes dropped three US-made 900 kg MK-84 bombs on the camp while civilians were sleeping. Media reports indicate that the US transferred over 14,000 MK-84 bombs to Israel between 2023 and 2024.
The group’s statement emphasized that the use of US-supplied artillery and bombs by Israel against displaced Palestinians fleeing to “safe zones” and then being attacked at night implicates the US in the ongoing violence.
“The bombs created craters several meters deep, burying approximately 20 tents with families inside,” the organization said. “Entire families were buried under the sand.”
In the densely packed camp, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live in makeshift tents, even a small bomb can cause significant damage and loss of life. The devastation caused by three US-made MK-84 bombs was catastrophic.
Euro-Med also condemned the international community’s silence, stating it emboldened Israel to continue committing “crimes” against Palestinians.
“The world’s disregard for these unprecedented massacres in the history of war is shameful, serving as a green light for Israel to persist in its mass killings of Palestinians,” the organization added.
They also accused the US of complicity in these attacks by continuing to supply Israel with destructive weapons, fully aware that they are being used to target civilians.
In a similar incident last month, at least 100 people were killed, and dozens injured, in an Israeli strike on the Al-Taba’een School in Gaza City, where over 6,000 displaced people had sought refuge.
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israel has systematically targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship. According to the laws of war, such actions may constitute war crimes.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
