An Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced families in al-Shati Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City, killed at least 14 Palestinians and injured 25 others, medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital reported.

The victims, primarily women and children, were attacked in the early hours of Tuesday, with doctors describing the scene as “catastrophic,” noting that entire families were either killed or critically wounded.

The targeted tents sheltered civilians who had fled violence in other parts of Gaza, seeking refuge in what was believed to be a safer area. “This was not a military site. These were tents filled with displaced civilians — women, children, the elderly. We received bodies torn apart,” said a doctor at al-Shifa Hospital, overwhelmed by the influx of casualties.

The strike is part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which began October 7, 2023. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the war has claimed 59,029 lives, mostly women and children, and left 142,135 wounded. Rescue efforts are hampered by ongoing airstrikes, fuel shortages, and destroyed infrastructure, leaving many victims trapped under rubble.

Al-Shati, one of Gaza’s oldest and most densely populated refugee camps, has faced repeated attacks despite its civilian population. The broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies, and aid convoys unable to reach many areas due to the siege and relentless bombardment.

Human rights groups have condemned the targeting of civilian shelters as potential war crimes, amid accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide. A survivor of the al-Shati attack lamented, “We ran from bombs in Rafah, we ran from tanks in Khan Younis, and now we are burying our children in a refugee camp that was supposed to protect us. There is no safe place in Gaza.”

International calls for justice grow louder as Gaza’s death toll rises and the conflict shows no signs of abating. (ILKHA)