Israeli military claims ‘no indication’ its troops attacked al-Mawasi tent camp
The Israeli military has claimed there is no evidence that it is responsible for Friday’s deadly attack on a tented camp in the al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza, which has killed 25 people and injured 50 more, the AFP news agency reports.
“An initial inquiry conducted suggests that there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the [Israeli military] in the humanitarian area in al-Mawasi. The incident is under review,” a military spokesman told AFP.
A statement published by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) described “high-calibre projectiles” landing “within metres” of its office in the encampment, which it said was surrounded by displaced Palestinians living in tents.
The ICRC did not specify who it believed had fired on the camp.
One survivor of the attack told Al Jazeera fire was “consuming” them “from every direction”.
“We had just eaten and were about to sleep and take some rest, and the next we knew was the sound of resounding explosions destroying our places. We find ourselves alone not knowing what to do. We still can’t process what happened,” the survivor said.
Witness to al-Mawasi attack says Israeli tanks ‘climbed hilltop’ to fire on camp: Report
Reuters news agency spoke to a resident of the camp that was attacked who said that “two tanks climbed a hilltop overseeing Mawasi, and they sent balls of fire that hit the tents of the poor people displaced in the area”.
The interview, conducted over a chat app, supports interviews conducted by Al Jazeera correspondents in Gaza regarding the al-Mawasi attack, which killed at least 25 people and injured 50.
Reuters reports that the Israeli military said the camp attack was under review.
Earlier, Israel’s military said its forces were conducting “precise, intelligence-based” actions in the Rafah area.
