At least 40 killed in Israeli attack on tent camp

At least 40 people have been killed and 60 injured in an Israeli attack on a tent encampment for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, civil emergency authorities in the enclave have said, reports al Jazeera.

At least 20 tents in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis were struck in the early morning attack on Tuesday, Gaza’s Civil Defence said.

Al-Mawasi has been overcrowded with Palestinians sleeping in tents since the Israeli army designated the coastal area a “safe zone” during its ground invasions of Khan Younis and nearby Rafah.

Rescuers searching for survivors said they found craters of up to 9 metres (30 ft) deep at the tent camp, Al Jazeera Arabic reported, citing local sources.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes in the area, with fires burning while Israeli reconnaissance planes circled overhead.

A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence said that the initial assessment of the scene suggested the attack was “one of the most heinous massacres in this frenzied war”._Agencies.