Hamas Calls on International Community to End Its Silence over Al-Mawasi Massacre

A view of destroyed personal belongings as rescuers look for survivors (photo:Jehad Alshrafi/Anadolu)

Gaza, MINA – The Hamas Movement condemned the brutal massacre in Al-Mawasi Khan Yunis, calling on the international community to end its silence and work to stop the holocaust that has been going on for 11 months.

This came in a statement issued at dawn Tuesday.

“In light of these repeated brutal massacres against civilians and displaced people in displacement tents, schools, and shelters, the international community, the United Nations, and all political, humanitarian, and judicial institutions are required today to leave the square of silence and helplessness and assume their responsibility to stop this holocaust that has been going on for 11 months,” the statement reads, as reported by Palinfo.

The Movement stressed the need “to stop this brutal aggression, and take the necessary measures to bring the Zionist war criminals to the International Criminal Court, and hold them accountable for these heinous crimes.”

Hamas also denied the Israeli claim that it was hosting a command center in a humanitarian zone, following the Al-Mawasi massacre.

“This is a clear lie that aims to justify these ugly crimes. The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or using these places for military purposes,” Hamas said in the statement.

Earlier Tuesday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said that an Israeli strike on a humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi Khan Yunis, the south of the Gaza Strip, killed 40 people and wounded 60 others.

The strike hit Al-Mawasi which was designated a safe zone by the Israeli army early in the war, with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge there.

Gaza civil defense spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, said early Tuesday that “40 martyrs and 60 injured were recovered and transferred” to nearby hospitals following the overnight strike.

“Our crews are still working to recover dozens of missing people as a result of targeting the displacement tents in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis,” he added.

Basal pointed out that people sheltering in the camp had not been warned of the strike, adding a shortage of tools and equipment was hindering rescue operations.

“More than 20 to 40 tents were completely damaged,” he said, adding the strike left behind “three deep craters.”

“There are entire families who disappeared under the sand in the Al-Mawasi Khan Yunis massacre,” he added. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)