11 Palestinians killed after Israel hits tent camp in Rafah

Israeli forces have hit a tent in Rafah housing displaced Palestinians, killing at least 11 people, according to local authorities, hours after 17 people were killed in attacks elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

At least 50 people were injured in Saturday’s drone attack, which took place next to the entrance of the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital in Tal as-Sultan, Rafah City, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said in a statement, reports Aljazeera.

The ministry said Abdel Fattah Abu Marhi, the head of the paramedic unit at the hospital, was killed, and that children were among the injured.

“A tent filled with displaced evacuees in the area, including an entire family, has been directly hit by a drone strike,” said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah.

He said eight of the bodies had been taken to the Kuwait Hospital “where the scene is very chaotic” as the small facility is unprepared for the large number of injuries arriving there.

“The strike hit one tent, where people took shelter, directly, shrapnel came inside the hospital where me and friends were sitting, we survived by a miracle,” a witness told Reuters news agency, declining to be identified.

In December, displaced people were instructed by the Israelis to move to the Tal as-Sultan area to avoid being bombed, our correspondent said, adding that “the narrative that Rafah is a safe zone has once again been proven false”.

At least 30,320 Palestinians have been killed and 71,533 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Saturday. It added that at least 92 of those were killed in the last 24 hours._Agencies.