- Author, Lucy Clarke-Billings
- Role, BBC News
The Israeli military announced that senior Hamas official Rafa Salama was killed in an airstrike in Gaza on Saturday. Hamas has not confirmed the report.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the Israeli strike hit a displaced people’s camp in a designated humanitarian area in Khan Younis, killing at least 90 Palestinians and wounding 289 others.
Israel said the strike targeted senior Hamas leaders, but Hamas says the claim is “false” and is being used to “justify” the attack.
Eyewitnesses said they saw at least five “large warplanes bombing in the middle of Al Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis.”
Most of the injured were sent to nearby Nasser Hospital.
However, according to officials and doctors, the facility is “no longer able to function” because doctors are “overwhelmed by the large number of victims.”
Speaking to BBC World Service’s Newshour, Dr Mohammed Abu Rayya, who is at a hospital treating the aftermath of the attack, said the majority of those injured suffered multiple shrapnel wounds.
He said it was like being in “hell”, adding that many of the victims were civilians, including women and children.
The Israeli military said Salama, commander of the Khan Younis Brigade, was one of the “masterminds” of the October 7 attack and a close associate of Mohammed Deif, the top commander of Hamas’ military wing.
A military spokesman said Salama’s death “significantly hinders Hamas’ military capabilities.”
It is unclear whether Deif was killed. The Israeli military said he was also targeted in the attack.
Deif has been one of Israel’s most wanted men for decades and is accused by Israeli authorities of the murder of several civilians and soldiers.
In a joint statement declaring Salama’s “elimination,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said Salama joined Hamas in the early 1990s and was appointed commander of the Khan Younis Brigade under the command of Mohammed Sinwar.
A Hamas official, quoted by Reuters, called the attack a “serious escalation” that shows Israel is not interested in reaching a ceasefire deal.
Ceasefire negotiations underway in Qatar and Egypt ended unsuccessfully on Friday, according to the BBC.
News Source : www.bbc.com
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