The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has expressed horror over a deadly Israeli assault on a southern Gaza town that was previously designated as "safe" area by the regime’s military.
In a social media post on Wednesday, MSF said the attack by Israeli ground force targeted al-Mawasi, which is situated west of Khan Yunis and houses a shelter for MSF staff and their families.
“We are horrified by what has taken place,” in al-Mawasi, where the Israel troops killed at least two relatives of MSF staff and injured several others, it added.
While details are still emerging, ambulance crews have now reached the site, where at least two family members of our colleagues have been killed and six people wounded. We are horrified by what has taken place.
— MSF International (@MSF) February 20, 2024
Amani Shnino, a mother taking refuge in the Gaza town, told the Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal that she was getting her three children ready for bed when an Israeli quadcopter broadcast a message to remain indoors.
It was followed by intense clashes, bombings and the roaring sounds of tanks and warplanes, she noted.
“My three children and I were scared to death… We were also in panic and had no clue of what was going on,” Shnino said.
"We expected the worst. We thought they (the Israeli soldiers) were coming to arrest or even execute people. It was highly likely."
She further said that the clashes continued for about three hours before subsiding.
Israel waged a genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out its historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 29,195 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 69,170 others.